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Good Practice, Good Business factsheets

Sex Discrimination
A diverse group of people, men and women of various ages and backgrounds, stand outdoors smiling and looking up towards the sky, posing together against a white brick wall.

The Good Practice, Good Business factsheets help promote diversity and prevent discrimination in your workplace. You can download them individually or as a set.

Discrimination law

Practical resources

Ten steps you can take to create a fair and productive workplace

  1. Develop and implement a policy on discrimination and harassment.
  2. Establish a process for responding to any complaints about discrimination and harassment that may arise. The Good practice guidelines for internal complaint processes can help.
  3. Make sure staff are aware of your policies and processes regarding discrimination and harassment. You could do this by providing this information to new staff on commencement, promoting it on staff noticeboards and/or circulating it on your intranet.
  4. Provide training for your staff on their rights and responsibilities regarding discrimination and harassment in the workplace. If you don’t have sufficient resources to train all staff, focus on those in management and human resources roles. Options for low-cost training are available in most states and territories.
  5. Make sure managers model behaviour consistent with promoting a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. You might do this by including relevant indicators in performance agreements.
  6. Have contact point/s for employees to discuss any issues relating to discrimination and harassment, for example, by establishing Workplace Contact Officers. Options for low-cost training of contact officers are available in most states and territories.
  7. Establish other policies that reflect your organisation’s commitment to workplace equality, for example, regarding flexible work arrangements to accommodate those with family or caring responsibilities.
  8. Identify and plan to address possible risk factors for discrimination and harassment, for example, where you have a staff member returning from extended leave due to parental responsibilities, illness or injury.
  9. Make sure that your workplace, including your premises, information and communication technology, is accessible to employees with a disability. You could do this by undertaking an access audit and/or developing a reasonable adjustment policy. (For more information about reasonable adjustments and financial assistance for workplace modifications see the Disability discrimination fact sheet).
  10. Consider how you might identify potential problem areas where discrimination or harassment may arise. You could do this by conducting staff surveys or exit interviews with departing employees, or by reviewing work units with high rates of absenteeism or staff turnover.

If you would like information about federal discrimination law and how it may apply to a particular workplace situation, you can contact the Commission’s National Information Service

Based on material provided by the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland. See Employers’ Toolkit available at www.adcq.qld.gov.au/resources/other-resources/employers-toolkit. These documents provide general information only on the subject matter covered. It is not intended, nor should it be relied on, as a substitute for legal or other professional advice. If required, it is recommended that the reader obtain independent legal advice. The information contained in these documents may be amended from time to time.

Further Reading:

  • Explore the Australian Human Rights Commission's Employer hub
  • IncludeAbility
  • Review the latest News from the Australian Human Rights Commission.
  • Have Your Say on the current inquiries, projects and conversations about human rights in Australia.