Pause to the changes for the Anti-Discrimination Act

Published on 26 June 2025

By Angela Farmer, Workforce Advisor, Legal & Workforce

Peak Services have previously addressed the obligations on Queensland workplaces that were introduced with the passing of the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Act 2024 QLD (the Act). It has recently come to light that the changes that were to be made to the Anti-Discrimination Act will be paused for further consultation.

The changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act that were legislated to commence on 1 July 2025 (amongst other important changes) were:

More Queenslanders are being protected from discrimination, with new attributes and updates to existing attribute definitions being introduced.
A legal requirement for all businesses, organisations and government agencies to proactively prevent discrimination, instead of waiting until complaints or harms have occurred.
Better recognition of intersectional discrimination, allowing people to make complaints on combined grounds.
Definitions, concepts and other legal tests to be made easier to understand and apply, with longer timeframes to make complaints to the QHRC.
More Queenslanders are protected from vilification, with more effective responses to harm caused by vilification.

There is currently no timeline for the review of issues raised or when the changes will come into effect.

The primary goal of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for situations where relatives are employed by Council. This policy will discuss equal employment opportunities, the process of recruitment and selection and assurance of transparency and fairness for any potential conflicts of interest.

To read this article in full and access the policy please visit HR Assist or contact us for information on a HR Assist subscription.