Australian MP Allegra Spender brought her religious-schools bill to parliament on 12 October. The independent MP is seeking stronger protections for LGBTQ+ students and staff.

Her private member’s bill is before the House of Representatives. The introduction and first reading are recorded on parliament’s bill page.

For former student James Elliot-Watson, the issue includes who gets a chance to lead. In Equality Australia’s statement about the bill, he said his Christian school in Sydney denied him the chance to become a prefect after he came out as gay.

He was a teenager. According to his account, the school also told him to keep his sexuality private and referred him to counselling intended to change it. Equality Australia published his account on 12 October.

Should equal-treatment rules explicitly cover positions such as prefect?

Equality Australia wants the federal government to support Spender’s proposal. The organisation says exemptions for religious schools permit discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, as well as people who are pregnant, divorced or in de facto relationships. Chief executive Anna Brown called on federal MPs to act, arguing that the exemptions affect access to education and employment.

The proposal now awaits parliament’s consideration. MPs may amend it, and it needs parliamentary approval before any of these reforms become law.