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Where am I now? Lawlink > Anti-Discrimination Board > Anti-Discrimination Law > History of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act
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History of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act
1976
Original bill for Anti-Discrimination Act introduced into Parliament.
1977
Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW) (ADA) makes it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of sex, race and marital status in the areas of employment, accommodation, goods and services and education (race only).
Anti-Discrimination Board (ADB) established.
1980
Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment (ODEOPE) established.
Sex and marital status discrimination made unlawful in the area of education.
1981
Physical disability included as ground of complaint.
Registered clubs added to list of areas in which discrimination is unlawful.
Equal Opportunity Tribunal established.
1982
Homosexuality and intellectual impairment added as grounds for complaint.
Maximum amount of compensation increased from $20,000 to $40,000.
Becomes unlawful to publish advertisements indicating an intention to discriminate unlawfully.
1989
Racial vilification made unlawful.
1991
Compulsory retirement made unlawful for some occupations.
1993
Compulsory retirement provisions extended to most public and private sector employees.
1994
Age discrimination becomes unlawful.
Discrimination because of the sex, race, marital status, and homosexuality of an associate made unlawful.
"Disability” replaces “physical and intellectual impairment”.
HIV/AIDs vilification made unlawful.
Maximum penalty for serious racial vilification increased.
Definition of race extended to include “ethno-religion” and “descent”.
Discrimination on the basis of a “genuine occupational qualification” allowed for the ground of sex.
Marital status discrimination extended to cover goods and services.
Act extended to cover industrial awards and agreements.
Ministers enabled to grant exemptions for special needs programs.
1996
Discrimination and vilification on the ground of transgender status made unlawful.
1997
Sexual harassment made unlawful.
Liability of employers limited if they took “all reasonable steps” to prevent contravention of the Act.
2000
Discrimination on the ground of carers’ responsibilities made unlawful in employment, and carers entitled to “reasonable accommodations”.
2005
Time limit for complaints extended from six months to twelve months.
ADB President given new powers to decline complaints.
2007
Discrimination on the ground of breastfeeding specifically made unlawful.
2009
Maximum amount of compensation increased from $40,000 to $100,000.
Definition of marital status extended to include “domestic status” and definition of defacto broadened, thus covering same-sex relationships.
Power to grant exemptions to ADA transferred from Attorney General to ADB President.
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