Government commits to modernising and strengthening anti-discrimination laws

• The Palaszczuk Government has provided in-principle support to all 122 recommendations presented in the Queensland Human Rights Commission’s (QHRC) Building Belonging Report.
• New anti-discrimination legislation and reform will be prepared to meet the needs of a modern Queensland.
• Strengthened protections will be in place to combat sexual harassment and discrimination in communities and in the workplace.

Strengthened anti-discrimination legislation will be introduced as part of the Governments’ final response to the Queensland Human Rights Commission’s (QHRC) Building Belonging Report.

The Report includes 122 recommendations that aim to ensure Queensland’s discrimination laws are effective in protecting people from both discrimination and sexual harassment, particularly in the workplace.

The Palaszczuk Government has supported all QHRC’s recommendations in-principle, including the creation of a legal obligation on individuals and organisations to take reasonable and proportionate steps to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and other discriminatory conduct as far as possible.

Victims of domestic and family violence will also be better protected from discrimination when applying for a rental property and in the workplace and the complaints system will be enhanced to provide better access to fair justice for marginalised members of the public.

New anti-discrimination legislation in Queensland will continue to reflect the principles of equality and dignity in the Human Rights Act 2019 as well as attempt to align with Commonwealth discrimination laws and the recommendations from the Respect@Work report.

Quotes attributable to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Shannon Fentiman:

“There is no room in our society for discriminatory behaviour – or for victimisation, vilification, and sexual harassment.

“The Building Belonging report represents an opportunity for us to work with the community to introduce new legislation that ensures all Queenslanders are protected from these reprehensible behaviours to the greatest extent possible, shifting the focus toward preventing it from happening in the first place.

“Significant legislation will be prepared that better protects our marginalised communities and individuals and strikes the right balance between competing rights and interests.”

“The Palaszczuk Government will continue to strengthen laws that protect Queenslanders across our diverse community.”

Further information:

The Goss Government first established Queensland’s unique Anti-Discrimination Act 30 years ago.

The Queensland Government’s final response to the Building Belonging report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 03 April 2023.

The response can be found at:

https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/initiatives/qld-govt-response-qhrc-anti-discrimination-act-review

The QHRC’s Building Belonging Report can be found at: https://www.qhrc.qld.gov.au

ENDS

Media contact – Natarjsha Kramer 0456 436 934