Steps towards anti-discrimination reform underway
A promise to unify the country’s anti-discrimination laws took a step forward at a meeting of the country’s attorneys-general.
Two web-based services have been established to bring together all jurisdictions’ human rights, anti-discrimination or equal opportunity commissions.
A national gateway will provide a public window into the agencies and the grounds on which a complaint can be made in each jurisdiction.
Also announced was the National Anti-‘Discrimination Workspace, an online forum for the commissions to share information.
The moves were considered a necessary first step before officers from the AG departments could negotiate harmonisation of the laws themselves, which has been an agenda item at the quarterly SCAG meetings since the Rudd Government came to power.
Commonwealth Attorney-General Robert McClelland also raised the issue of relationship registers for same-sex couples in light of the federal de facto reforms last year.
Victoria’s relationship register is already proving popular only months since its introduction.
The problem is, the Federal government now refuses to commit as to whther this unification process will delay Federal Equal Opportunity (Pro-equality – PE) law. This unification could well be a step backwards. Anyone remember Jeff Kennett’s autopilot response for 7 years of “we’re working on a whole of government approach” – and suprise, suprise nothing happened.
We need Federal PE law yesterday.