Key Points
- Discrimination based on religion alone is not unlawful under federal anti-discrimination law but can be unlawful under state or territory law.
- The Fair Work Commission, the Australian Human Rights Commission and local anti-discrimination bodies are the forums for submitting a religious discrimination complaint outside court.
- In some cases, there may also be legitimate grounds for restricting a worker’s freedom to practice their religion.
Tɛ̈ne Pɛn Australia, Aci lööŋ tɔu bi kɔc gël alɔŋ nhiälicdun ye door, ke tɛ bi yeen ya luɔ̈i thin ke rɛɛl cök dhëlic tɛ̈n ruunkek ci lɔu ku bi looi Löŋ .
Tɛn jɛ̈ɛ̈m yen dhel ee luɔi, ke lëŋ lööŋ wën baai thon eben kɔc gël bi keek ci til e wɛ̈t nhiälicden ke yeka door ci gät piny rɛ̈ɛ̈l ku ke mɛ̈n alïk yic tɛden ci luɔikë ke cëkic.
Karina Okotel ee Raan Lööŋ alɔ̈ŋ , Akutnhom lööŋ baai Ciɛ̈l rɛ̈ɛ̈l Gën Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Yen ee kɔc wɛ̈ɛ̈t ke tuëŋ leu ku bi raan käŋ looi ke yen raan tɛn yen yiök kek tiɛ̈l ci yeen til e wɛ̈t nhialicden yen door ee ku bi jäm kek akutnhom
Fair Work Commission ku bi ŋic yen leu ku bi gɛ̈t ɣöt lɔn ye wɛtde ke ye yeen raan ci til ke ye lööŋ luel yic (Act).
"Këk aleu bïk löŋ dhïl thëëk dhiɛ̈l b̈ɛ̈i bei. Mɛ̈n kuät wën bi kɔ̈c ɣot tɛ̈n bi kek looi tɛn Fair Work Commission aci keek ŋiɛ̈c luel ku aleŋ tɛden ye keek thöök thin rɛ̈ɛ̈l kakka yiic."
Complaints about workplace religious discrimination includes discrimination because of the lack of a religious belief. Credit: SDI Productions/Getty Images
Cimëne tɛ thööŋ yen kela, akëëc lööŋ puöl bi raan luɔ̈i bi lɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ ke looi tɛn trraan wën wic luɔi bi tïl e wɛ̈t nhialic den ye door.
Tïïl wei tɛn luɔi ee kewën rot looi tɛ luui kɔc. Ku yen mɛ̈ne arilic apɛ̈i ku ba kën yen nyuɔ̈th nyooth yen ee rëël kewen cie tïŋ," Aci Ms Okotel luel.
Yen aya aleŋ kuät tiɛ̈l nhialicdun ye door tɛ ̈kic rɛ̈ɛi tɛn luɔ̈i, mɛ̈t thin agut kawën rot looi kɔc-luui wek, ku këne acïï lööŋ gëlgel yen looi e Fair Work Act.
Tɛne Akumadit Australia, kewääc aleu bi ɣääth tɛn Akutnhom Yiith Mɛ̈nhraan
, ku kek alëŋ riɛ̈l bïk tɛ bi yen thɔl thin yic ku luëlke tɛ ween bi yen luɔi thin aa bïk luel.
Aci Ms Okotel luel, Riɛ̈ɛ̈ŋ rin ku wɛ̈t cï riɛ̈nku cäälwei tɛn lëëk wël ke ca luel wei ee raan luɔ̈i cɔl alɔc luui thin ku bi këwäc laac thool ke raan wën bi wɛ̈tnhiäl.
"Tɛ̈në, yen aleu ku bi piäth tɛn kɔc ku bïïk wɛ̈tden wääc tuɛ̈r tɛne Akutnhom Yïth Mɛ̈nhraan, ku ba wïc kuɔ̈ny kënë ku wɛ̈t thööl ke ke kewääc këëc ɣet luukic."
Tɛnë Walaya ku g̈ɛɛ̈th kɔ̈k, tɛdun ci yïn gɛ̈ɛ̈m thin ku kuät ke looi aci gël wɛ̈t tɛiɛl wën yen bi rot ya looi thin ee Lööŋ tiɛ̈l rɛ̈ɛ̈l gɛ̈ɛ̈th juëc yic. Mɛ̈n, gëlgële rɛ̈ɛ̈l aoi thok k aye thääny kɔu ke tɛdun ciëëŋ yin thin.
Aimee Cooper, Wal alɔŋ Lööŋ Nhom alɔŋ Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC), aci jäm tɛwën yen lööŋ tiltil tɛn luɔi yen rooi luɔ̈i thin.
“ Ee tïŋ ee Jewish aci luel lɔ̈n rilic tɛden luɔi wɛt ci yën lɛɛ̈k raanden luɔi aci bi rëël tɛn luɔi yom Thabit e rin bi yen yän Shabbat muuk cok. Muöny Sikh […] aci rot yiök ke ci til ku akëëc loor tɛn luɔi wɛ̈t ci raanden luɔ̈i yen yiök bi ke ci yen ye nhom deer däk beei ye nhom. Ku acuk pïŋ tïŋ Muɛlim wɛt ci kɔc ken luui kek yen ye koony jam bïk kewen yeke cɔl l̈ɔ̈ŋdun thin koor kööl thok ebën ku ee kënë ee käämden thiin ye nyiäi bi yen lɔ cɔ̈ɔ̈r tɛ cït tɛ ye gäämde yen wïëc thin."
Walayia ku Gɛ ɛ̈th akutnhïïm löŋ-cientiɛl cimëne VEOHRC ee koony bi rään ci gɛ̈t ɣot dot bik bik mɛ̈t ke bi bɛ̈n bei thin, ke cië ke ben lɔ luukic.
"Yen alëu bi ya pɛ̈ɛ̈l wɛ̈t piny, wɛ̈ɛ̈r löŋ aye tɛ ye kɔ̈c lui thin, juɛ̈ɛ̈c rot tɛ bi kɔ̈c luɔ̈i piɔ̈ɔ̈c thin ku ku bi keek bɛ̈n dhuök luɔ̈iden yic aye bi keek cuöt ee wëu," Aci Ms Cooper kuänyic.
Ka kɔ̈k yic, acie löŋ ye dhööŋ kɔu bi luel raan aci til ɣɔ̈n luɔi yic, mɛ̈t thin agut ci tɛ wɛtnhialic wic yen.
cimëne, pɛn Victoria, Akutnhïïm wɛ̈t-nhialic aleu bïk raan gɛ̈ɛ̈l wei luɔi wɛt lööŋken wën tɛden ye keek luui thin.
The kinds of mediation outcomes are “limitless, because it's really what the two parties are willing to agree to”. Credit: CihatDeniz/Getty Images
Justin Carroll, raan luɔi tajaria wën luui kek kɔc Löŋ Blackbay Lawyers, aci kuanyic kɔc wën wɛɛt nhialic aci kɔc ye til ke këëc löŋ puol tɛ wën ye lööŋ Fair Work Act tɛ looi kek wen "dhel athɛ̈ɛk" bïk puöl bi ciën ke raac tɛ yen luoiden wic yen gämden yic aye gaam".
Bi lɔ luukic puöl, aye bi ke ci looi dhël lɔ cök ke rɛ̈ɛ̈l raan luɔi ciin, Mr Carroll aci luel, bïk lui ke buɔ̈th luöoden yic dhël tɛ wïc Fair Work Act ku tɛ ku löŋ Pɛnden ku ciëëŋke.
Ke rɛ̈ɛ̈l thin mɛn, aleŋ dhɛ̈l kɔ̈k ye kɔc luɔ̈i leu bïk kek looi.
"Thëmthem ku kɔc wën gäämden buötic mathin tɛn wën cin yen ke bi rɛ̈ɛ̈c tɛn kek ku bïk latuëŋ kek löönden loike. Ku ke lɔ̈n nada, acïn ke ye rääc tɛn kɔc kɔ̈k cin nhialic den yeke theek ee dhɛ̈l tok wula dhɛ̈l kɔk eben.
“Health and safety issues are grounds on which employers can legitimately infringe upon religious practice or religious observance, in the form of religious dress for example,” Mr Carroll explains. (Getty) Credit: Maskot/Getty Images
Ms Oktotel aye luel, na bïï yen tɛ wen ye löŋ luɔi dhöŋ kɔ̈ɔ̈th alɔŋ nhialic ye theek tɛne luɔi, käk rot looi acie gua bɛ̈n ke lɔ cɔ̈k e lɔ gɛ̈ɛ̈i b kek ŋic apɛɛth kua aleu bik bïk ke yiic määt keek käk tiɛ̈l aye tɛ ye lööŋ kɔ̈k dhöŋ kɔ̈ɔ̈th thin.
"Ɣok ake lëŋ raandan ye k luɔi tök, cimënë yen wïc wɛ̈t ke ba ɣäth luknhom ku acïn käk yen puöl bi ɣäth luuk nhom bi looi keya. ɣok achuk jal bɛ̈n deetic alëŋ wël nyiɛ̈nhde kuɔ̈m nhïïm.
"Tɛnë, yen arilic tɛn kɔɔc bïk wic wëët erin raan ŋiëc lööŋ aleu ku bï ŋic yeŋo leu ku bi looi ee kuat dhël kɔk wën rɛ̈ɛ̈l thin yiic ku tiŋ ye kedɛt nɛ̈n leu ku bi ŋiëc looi apɛ̈th ku bi kene looi, tɛ̈ tïŋ yen ciëëk yic ka yen löŋ kua puöl,"
Aci Okotel thëëkcok.
Ku ba wëël kɔ̈k ŋïc alɔŋ tiɛ̈l wɛ̈t nhialicdun ci yïn til baai Walayiadun ku Gëndun neem:
| ACT | ACT Human Rights Commission | |
| NSW | Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW | |
| NT | Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission | |
| QLD | Queensland Human Rights Commission | |
| SA | South Australian Equal Opportunity Commission | |
| TAS | Equal Opportunity Tasmania | |
| VIC | Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission | |
| WA | Western Australian Equal Opportunity Commission | |
