Sustainability Skills

Home Government and regulators Anti-discrimination legislation (Commonwealth)

Anti-discrimination legislation (Commonwealth)

The Australian Human Rights Commission manages the following federal laws to protect people from discrimination and harassment:

  • Age Discrimination Act 2004
  • Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986
  • Disability Discrimination Act 1992
  • Racial Discrimination Act 1975
  • Sex Discrimination Act 1984

Discrimination is where someone is treated differently or unfairly due to a perceived characteristic. Characteristics might be:

  • Religion
  • Ethnicity
  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender
  • Political beliefs
  • Disability
  • Age

Workplace discrimination and harassment are social sustainability issues that can have a significant effect on staff turnover and productivity.

The Human Rights Commission provides guides and information to help employers prevent workplace discrimination and harassment. The resources cover:

  • explanation of the legislation
  • fact sheets and examples of different types of discrimination
  • how to develop workplace anti-discrimination and harassment policies and complaints procedures.

See Australian Human Rights Commission – Information for employers.

departmental logo

This website and many of the products have been produced with the assistance of funding provided by the Australian Government; including through the Green Skills Agreement and the Clean Energy and Other Skills Package.