FINANCIAL incentives for employers to screen out potentially unhealthy employees may lead to greater reliance on workplace genetic testing, the Victorian Law Reform Commission warns.Although the practice is not yet common in Australia, overseas experience suggests genetic tests may be included in pre-employment health screening to identify whether job applicants have a genetic predisposition to certain diseases.In addition, workers risk discrimination over genetic characteristics considered undesirable, such as shyness, or aggression, the commission says in a report, Workplace Privacy.Present laws do not cover the situation, the commission says. It recommends that the Federal Government introduce stronger protections for workplace privacy.In the meantime, it says, employers wishing to genetically test workers or job applicants should be obliged to seek authorisation from privacy regulators.
