On this page: This page outlines what you can do if you experience discrimination or victimisation.
Understanding Discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is when you have been treated unfairly because of something about yourself; like being a certain ethnicity or cultural background.
Discrimination includes the following situations if they are the cause of unfair treatment:
- you are from a particular race or cultural background.
- You are a particular gender
There are many other situations. The following situations may be considered discrimination if you have been treated unfairly because;
- you have a short-term illness like coronavirus
- you are providing care to someone
- you have previously had an illness
- you have a disability
There are laws to protect people from discrimination because of a disability, because they have parental or carer responsibilities, or because of their race.
Workplace Discrimination
Workplace discrimination occurs when an employer takes adverse action against a person who is an employee or prospective employee because of the following attributes of the person including but not limited to:
- race
- colour
- sex
- sexual orientation
- age
- physical or mental disability
Victimisation
Victimisation is when someone subjects, or threatens to subject, another person to some form of detriment or harm, because they have:
- made a complaint of discrimination or sexual harassment;
- provided evidence, information or documents in relation to a complaint of discrimination or sexual harassment;
- refused to do something that would make them contravene anti-discrimination laws;
- made an allegation that another person has acted unlawfully under anti-discrimination laws.
Victimisation is prohibited under both Federal and State law.
If you think you have been treated unfairly, VALS may be able to assist, call
1800 064 865.