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Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Laws
The following federal anti-discrimination laws protect people from discrimination and harassment: Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cth) Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) Federal discrimination laws prohibit discrimination in different areas of… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Lesbian
Lesbians are protected from discrimination by law. The Sex Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to treat a person less favourably than another person in a similar situation because of her sexual orientation. There are some limited exemptions. Same-sex couples are also protected from discrimination under the definition of ‘marital or relationship status’ in the Act. Example: A company policy… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Marital or Relationship Status
It is against the law to discriminate against a person because of his or her marital or relationship status. This includes people who are single, married, in a de facto relationship, separated, divorced, widowed or never married. It also includes people in same-sex relationships. There are some limited exemptions. Discrimination happens when a person is treated less favourably than another… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Medical Assessment
Some organisations include a medical assessment as part of their recruitment process to gather additional information that will be used to select the successful candidate. However, it is important that employers do not discriminate against any candidate when using this information. It is against the law to refuse to employ a person based on information from a medical examination that… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Mental Illness
A guide for employers to understand the rights of employees with mental illness. -
18 February 2015Quick Guide
National Origin
The Australian Human Rights Commission provides a quick guide to Australian discrimination laws, covering federal and state/territory legislation. -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Job Advertisements
How a position is advertised is crucial to attracting the right sort of people for the job. A good advertisement will focus exclusively on the essential skills and abilities needed to do the job. Only refer to personal characteristics, such as age, sex, marital status or race, if they are part of the genuine requirements of the job. A discriminatory advertisement can limit the range of… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Job Sharing
Job sharing is a flexible work arrangement where one job is done by more than one person. It can be an option if employees want to work part-time but the job that is available needs to be worked on a full-time basis. Example: One employee works part-time and does the job on Monday and Tuesday and another employee does the same job, also working part-time, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Jewellery
Organisations often have rules regarding the appearance of their employees in the workplace. Employers should ensure that any proposed rules that allow or prohibit jewellery to be worn in the workplace do not amount to discrimination. Rules about wearing jewellery could amount to discrimination if they impose different requirements for different groups of people, such as men and women… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Languages
Treating someone differently because of the language that they speak may be against the law. Find out more in this quick guide for employers. -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Indirect Discrimination
Indirect discrimination occurs when a seemingly neutral rule or policy disproportionately affects people with specific attributes (e.g. sex, disability). It’s unlawful if based on protected characteristics. -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Immigrant Status
It is against the law to discriminate against a person because that person is or has been an immigrant. There are some limited exceptions. Discrimination on the basis of immigrant status occurs when a person is treated less favourably, or not given the same opportunities as others in a similar situation, because of their immigrant status. This does not mean that an employer has to employ… -
Employers18 February 2015Quick Guide
Inherent Requirements
Discrimination in employment because of a person’s age or disability is against the law in many circumstances. However, it may not be unlawful to refuse to employ a person if, because of their age or disability, they are unable to carry out the inherent requirements – or essential duties – of the job. The inherent requirements of a job will vary depending on what the job is. They may include…