Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

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MARRIAGE ACT 1961 - SECT 47B

Bodies established for religious purposes may refuse to make facilities available or provide goods or services

  (1)   A body established for religious purposes may refuse to make a facility available, or to provide goods or services, for the purposes of the solemnisation of a marriage, or for purposes reasonably incidental to the solemnisation of a marriage, if the refusal:

  (a)   conforms to the doctrines, tenets or beliefs of the religion of the body; or

  (b)   is necessary to avoid injury to the religious susceptibilities of adherents of that religion.

  (2)   Subsection   (1) applies to facilities made available, and goods and services provided, whether for payment or not.

  (3)   This section does not limit the grounds on which a body established for religious purposes may refuse to make a facility available, or to provide goods or services, for the purposes of the solemnisation of a marriage, or for purposes reasonably incidental to the solemnisation of a marriage.

  (4)   To avoid doubt, a reference to a body established for religious purposes has the same meaning in this section as it has in section   37 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 .

  (5)   For the purposes of subsection   (1), a purpose is reasonably incidental to the solemnisation of marriage if it is intrinsic to, or directly associated with, the solemnisation of the marriage.


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