The Hodgman Liberal Government is delivering on our election commitment to exempt faith-based schools from certain provisions of the Anti-Discrimination Act.
The Anti-Discrimination Amendment Bill will allow faith-based schools to give preference in their admissions to students who have religious beliefs, affiliations or activities consistent with those of the school.
It will bring Tasmanian law in line with all other states and territories.
Religious schools are already able to apply for an exemption to the Act but this can be a cumbersome and uncertain process as it is difficult for schools to predict in advance whether a year group may be oversubscribed with students seeking admission.
The amendments being introduced by the Government will reduce red tape and administrative burden associated with the current exemption process.
The bill specifically prohibits enrolment discrimination on any other grounds other than the student's religious beliefs, affiliations and activity.
This is all about providing consistency and certainty to Tasmania's faith-based schools.