Australian laws

As well as South Australian laws, a number of Commonwealth Acts relate to equal opportunity law. They are:

• Sex Discrimination Act
• Racial Discrimination Act
• Disability Discrimination Act
• Age Discrimination Act
• Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act
• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act
• Australian Privacy Act

These laws overlap with South Australian equal opportunity law. The main difference is in the types of discrimination which are covered. The following types of discrimination are covered by Commonwealth laws but not South Australian laws:

• religion
• medical record
• social origin
• political opinion (in employment only)
• irrelevant criminal record (in employment only)
• trade union activity (in employment only).

If you think you have been discriminated against on one of these grounds, you can lodge a complaint with the federal Australian Human Rights Commission.
 

Also in this section:

Interstate laws
How state and federal laws interact