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Age discrimination laws to be toughened

THE FEDERAL Government will tighten up the law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of age, Attorney-General Robert McClelland has announced.Currently, conduct will constitute discrimination…

October 13, 2008 • By Lawyers Weekly

THE FEDERAL Government will tighten up the law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of age, Attorney-General Robert McClelland has announced.

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Currently, conduct will constitute discrimination under the Age Discrimination Act 2004 only if age was the dominant reason a person was discriminated against. The Government will amend this so that age need only be one of the reasons for discrimination.

This amendment was recommended by a 2007 bipartisan report of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs called Older People and the Law. According to McClelland, the amendment will align the Age Discrimination Act with other federal, and state and territory unlawful discrimination laws.

About 13 per cent of Australia’s population (approximately 2.8 million) are aged 65 years or over, and within 50 years, this proportion will have tripled.

Lawyers Weekly - legal news for Australian lawyers

Age discrimination laws to be toughened