The Government is supporting in principle all 122 recommendations of the Queensland Human Rights Commission’s Building Belonging report.
In a statement, the Attorney-General’s Department said it would strengthen anti-discrimination legislation.
The report’s recommendations aim to ensure the State’s discrimination laws are effective in protecting people from both discrimination and sexual harassment, particularly in the workplace.
They include the creation of a legal obligation on individuals and organisations to take reasonable and proportionate steps to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and other discriminatory conduct as far as possible.
Victims of domestic and family violence will also be better protected from discrimination when applying for a rental property.
The complaints system will be enhanced to provide better access to fair justice for marginalised members of the public.
The Department said it was strengthening anti-discrimination legislation to continue to reflect the principles of equality and dignity in the Human Rights Act 2019, as well as aligning with Commonwealth discrimination laws and the recommendations from the Respect@Work report.
Attorney-General, Shannon Fentiman said the Building Belonging report represented an opportunity to work with the community to introduce new legislation that ensured all Queenslanders were protected from reprehensible behaviour to the greatest extent possible.
“My Department is preparing significant legislation that better protects our marginalised communities and individuals and strikes the right balance between competing rights and interests,” Ms Fentiman said.
