Law Reform Projects

The proposed Equal Opportunity Bill falls short of recommendations and fails to protect thousands of people with a criminal record from discrimination

The 2008 Review of Victoria’s Equal Opportunity Laws - ‘An Equality Act for a Fairer Victoria – Equal Opportunity Review Final Report (Department of Justice) – made recommendations that discrimination on the basis of an irrelevant criminal record should be prohibited in Victoria.[1]

The recommended changes would have meant that a criminal record unrelated to the inherent requirements of the job would no longer be a legitimate ground for denying a person work or workplace opportunities. Employers would have received support in clarifying their rights and responsibilities in deciding whether or not to hire a person with a criminal record.

The new Equal Opportunity Bill has ignored these recommendations and failed to include any protections for Victorians with a criminal record. The Bill has also failed to provide protections to people experiencing discrimination as result of homelessness.

Read more

Media Release

Position Paper

Briefing Paper