Australia’s biggest union: Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union (SDA) is going to be investigated over allegations that it has been systematically discriminating against its LGBT members.

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The allegations were made at a Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption. A witness reportedly accused the SDA of refusing to allow openly gay or lesbian members to become union shop stewards.

Australian Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson has allowed the union to be openly investigated.

The SDA represents workers from a number of sectors including retail, fast food, and industry workers as well as make up artists and hairdressers.

The SDA features “a right wing largely Catholic hierarchy” according to Gay Star News, that has allegedly campaigned against abortion and LGBTI rights.

Some have speculated that the SDA supported Julia Gillard’s deposing of Kevin Rudd as Labor leader in 2010 under the condition that she would not allow same sex marriage to be legalized.

Australian Marriage Equality, Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays (PFLAG) Australia and the independent state MP for the seat of Sydney Alex Greenwich successfully lobbied for Tim Wilson to launch an investigation into the organisation. PFLAG National spokesperson Shelley Argent said the following:

“Unions should be working for their employees regardless of their sexual orientation,’ Argent said, ‘They should be fighting discrimination, not being the discriminators.”

Alex Greenwich said the Human Rights Commission’s decision to take up the complaint was a positive step forward:

“It is good to see the Human Rights Commission taking action on LGBTI discrimination. Such discrimination has a very harmful impact on the individuals targeted and on the reputation of any organization allowing it to occur,”

“Some in leadership roles at the SDA, including Joe DeBruyn, have had a long history of stymieing LGBTI law reform and it’s time they were called out for it.”