Young People Get A Say in Anti-Discrimination Law Review
On Friday 15 August, submissions close for the Law Reform Commission’s review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977. This is the first time the NSW public have had the opportunity to give input on this legislation since its passing into law, this being especially the case for the young people of NSW.
The Anti-Discrimination Act is described as “an Act to render unlawful racial, sex and other types of discrimination in certain circumstances and to promote equality of opportunity between all persons,” and plays a vital role in protecting from unjust treatment and discrimination in many areas of public life. But the Act is deeply flawed, outdated, and in many cases exclusionary, overall failing in multiple areas to properly fulfil its purpose. Among its key issues include exemptions for “private educational authorities” and religious institutions, described by Equality Australia as “the most regressive and extreme state laws” in the country, which give a broad license for discrimination and mean that 44% of secondary school students are vulnerable to this; narrow and outdated definitions for sexual orientation and gender identity; and deeply flawed tests to prove discrimination which are far behind best practice in other jurisdictions.
Young LGBTQ+ people are being failed by outdated legislation, and this opportunity to advocate for real change is too significant to ignore. One Law For All NSW is a newly established youth-led advocacy organisation that exists to fight for the protection of LGBTQ+ students in the NSW private education system. By pushing for vital changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act, we are fighting for the right to education without discrimination. OLFA is working to make young people aware of the opportunity they have to make their voices heard, and we have created a submission guide available on our website. We strongly encourage young LGBTQ+ people with lived experience of discrimination to submit their stories, which can be made anonymous on request. We can be contacted to answer any questions at our email address onelawforallnsw@gmail.com, and can be found on social media with the username @onelawforallnsw.
