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Maintaining a beard was not "merely a matter of personal preference", according to a Roman Catholic employee, who claimed his employer discriminated against him when it denied him a personal protective equipment exemption.

The Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety senior prison officer claimed his faith required him not to shave his beard. This tradition was "spiritually and culturally significant in his family", he said.

The State Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard that in March 2022, the employee, who worked at the Melbourne Remand Centre (MRC), applied for an exemption from the employer's breathing apparatus policy. The policy required prison officers to be clean-shaven, except in cases of a small moustache...