And if they do, then are you saying it's actually illegal to ask for it?
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION ACT 1991 - SECT 124
124 Unnecessary information
(1) A person must not ask another person, either orally or in writing, to supply information on which unlawful discrimination might be based.
(3) It is a defence to a proceeding for a contravention of subsection (1) if the respondent proves, on the balance of probabilities, that the information was reasonably required for a purpose that did not involve discrimination.
Example--
An employer would contravene the Act by asking applicants for all jobs whether they have any impairments, but may ask applicants for a job involving heavy lifting whether they have any physical condition that indicates they should not do that work.
This is from the Queensland Act, but I imagine they all have a similar escape clause.
Basically, if you can show that you asked for the information for a legitimate purpose, such as security checks (which is probably the Qantaslink excuse) you're in the clear.
I have some recruitment experience in the entertainment industry, where you can ask all sorts of questions that aren't usually allowed (about appearance, build, age etc) because these things are deemed integral to being a model / actor. Basically, you can't sue a strip joint for discrimination for not employing you as a stripper because you're an overweight fifty year old male.
My understanding is that you need to be careful that any questions you ask specifically pertain to the job you're advertising. In this way, asking someone if they're prepared to travel is okay if the job requires travelling, but asking them if they're married (and then assuming they're not prepared to travel) can be seen as discriminatory.
This post is a great guide to CVs, not just in aviation, and I've forwarded it to several school leaving friends who are looking for work
