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Employer cleared to discriminate against men

An employer has a green light to recruit only women, after a commission found it was "not practical or viable" to make adjustments for men to work in its organisation.

Queensland Industrial Relations Commissioner Samantha Pidgeon ruled it was "necessary" to grant the exemption the employer sought, as its proposal to advertise and recruit only women would otherwise breach the State Anti-Discrimination Act.

In August, non-profit organisation Children by Choice applied to be exempt from numerous sections of the AD Act, related to the attribute of sex, for five years.

Its current exemption, which has operated since November 2018, applies to recruiting "sufficient females" for specific roles, including counsellors, managers, and coordinators...