The Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) provides an exemption from the provisions of the legislation where there are genuine occupational requirements of a position. In the case of employment with a religious entity, if the particular position genuinely and necessarily involves adhering to and communicating the entity’s religious belief, then discrimination on the basis of the religious belief or religious activity would be appropriate.
Specifically the act states:
s 25 Genuine occupational requirements
(1) A person may impose genuine occupational requirements for a position.
Examples of genuine requirements for a position
Example 1—
selecting an actor for a dramatic performance on the basis of age, race or sex for reasons of authenticity
Example 2—
using membership of a particular political party as a criterion for a position as an adviser to a political party or a worker in the office of a member of Parliament
Example 3—
considering only women applicants for a position involving body searches of women
Example 4—
employing persons of a particular religion to teach in a school established for students of the particular religion