What federal laws exist to protect people from discrimination and breaches of human rights?
The Commission has statutory responsibilities under the following federal laws: • Age Discrimination Act 2004 • Disability Discrimination Act 1992 • Racial Discrimination Act 1975 • Sex Discrimination Act 1984 • Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 . The Age Discrimination Act, Disability Discrimination Act, Racial Discrimination Act and Sex Discrimination Act are all based on international human rights treaties and conventions ratified by Australia . These laws protect people from discrimination or harassment in the workplace and various parts of public life, based on their age, race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy, marital status or disability. The Australian Human Rights Commission Act covers: • alleged breaches of human rights by the Commonwealth (such as a federal government department) against accepted international standards • discrimination in employment (public and private organisations) on a range of grounds, such as age, religion, sexual
