The reforms on goods and services will come into operation on 14 December 2022. This commencement period is necessary to allow for planning and implementation activities to occur with impacted organisations.
Previously, religious exception provisions under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 permitted religious organisations and bodies that provide goods and services, to discriminate on a range of personal attributes.
Under the changes, religious organisations or bodies that provide government-funded goods or services will no longer be able to discriminate when providing the goods or services (unless another exception applies) because of a person’s sex, sexual orientation, lawful sexual activity, marital status, parental status and gender identity
The Fact Sheet - Equal Opportunity Act 2010 explains the changes and includes a range of frequently asked questions and links to further information.