The JEC submission in response to the NSW Law Reform Commission’s First Consultation Paper as part of its review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 makes a number of calls to reform key aspects of this out-dated and fundamentally broken law.
This includes:
- updating the tests for direct and indirect discrimination, including allowing for complaints brought on the basis of multiple and/or overlapping attributes;
- updating several of the existing protected attributes, including replacing homosexuality with sexual orientation, replacing transgender with gender identity, and modernising the definition of disability;
- introducing a range of new protected attributes, including sex characteristics (to protect intersex people) and religious belief or activity;
- expanding the scope of public life covered by the Act;
- narrowing the scope of exceptions, including those applying to religious organisations as well as to private educational authorities;
- modernising the Act’s approach to sexual harassment, informed by the Respect@Work reforms federally, and;
- expanding vilification coverage, including greater harmonisation with other laws.
JEC wins award for housing and mental ill-health lived experience committee