Discrimination
Media and commentary related to our work to strengthen and modernise anti-discrimination laws, to protect human rights and ensure fair access to services, education, work and culture.
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Mental health discrimination by insurers: new report calls for urgent ASIC investigation
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) should immediately investigate how life insurers treat people with past or current mental health conditions, in response to continuing widespread discrimination by life insurers. This is a key recommendation of Mental Health Discrimination in Insurance – which is the culmination of ten years of work by PIAC’s Mental…
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PIAC ‘cautiously welcomes’ commitment to prohibit religious discrimination
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre cautiously welcomes reports that NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman will develop legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religious belief. ‘The failure of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religious belief is a real gap that should be addressed,’ PIAC CEO Jonathon Hunyor said.…
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Advocates say NSW anti-discrimination laws are failing vulnerable
Experts and community groups ask attorney general Mark Speakman to review ‘terrible’ and outdated act.
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Community groups call for comprehensive review of NSW Anti- Discrimination Act
A coalition of community groups has today written an open letter to NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman, calling on him to commission an independent review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). ‘This legislation is failing in its fundamental duty to protect vulnerable people in NSW against discrimination and vilification,’ the open letter states. ‘The Anti-Discrimination…
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‘Shield not a sword’: Committee backs new religious freedom laws
‘In an open letter to Mr Speakman, a coalition of 17 organisations including Equality Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT, and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, opposed the bill.’ ‘The letter said it would “privilege religion over other protected attributes in some regards, and in…
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Attorney General should be wary of ‘Religious Freedom’ minefield as Committee leaves problems unresolved
NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman must carefully consider the negative consequences of any possible ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill, including for women, LGBTIQ people, and people of minority faiths, following today’s disappointing Joint Select Committee Report on the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill. Despite the concerns of a diverse range of stakeholders across civil society,…
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ASIC v TAL Federal Court decision highlights poor practices of insurers in relation to mental health
The Chief Justice of the Federal Court has strongly criticised the way insurance company TAL handled the legitimate income protection claim of a woman suffering from cancer. TAL initially paid the woman’s claim, but then cancelled her policy after obtaining her medical records and finding that she had visited a psychologist. They argued that this…
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Mental health insurance problems to be exacerbated by COVID-19
Systemic problems with the way life and income protection insurers offer policies and assess the claims of people with mental health conditions needs to be fixed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, advocates claim. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), a community legal service that specialises in policy advocacy, says people with mental health…
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Test case challenges the misuse of handcuffs against detained asylum seekers
An asylum seeker has launched a landmark test case that highlights the excessive use of force in Australian immigration detention centres. The case challenges the inhumane use of handcuffs to restrain men and women attending offsite medical appointments which is often disproportionate to any genuine risk. PIAC’s client, Yasir*, is taking action under the Disability…
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Opinion: Religious discrimination bill will create an unholy mess
‘One Nation’s Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 gets one thing right — the lack of protection for religious belief is a genuine gap in NSW anti-discrimination law.’ ‘But when it comes to the detail, the bill not only goes the wrong way about introducing these much-needed protections, it represents a serious threat…