Section 116 of the Australian
Constitution explicitly provides that the Commonwealth shall not legislate to
establish any religion, impose any religious observance or prohibit the free exercise
of any religion. Also no religious test can be required to qualify for government
office. In the ACT, two pieces of legislation protect this right. The ACT Discrimination
Act 1991 makes it unlawful to treat someone unfavourably in public life because of a
range of protected attributes, including their religious belief. It includes
discriminating against someone because of an absence of religious belief also. Public
life includes a range of
activities, including the provision of goods or services, such as medical centres, and
how people are treated in workplaces and educational institutions. In practice, this
means someone cannot be refused service at a nightclub because of the colour of
their skin, or refused a job because of their gender, or not being served at a shop
because of their religious dress. Any individual or organisation seeking to impose a
''ban'' on wearing the burka in public would be committing unlawful discrimination.
Source:
http://acthra.anu.edu.au/media/2009/...ar%20burka.pdf
Bookmarks