As of July 1, 2025, anti-discrimination legislation in the Australian state of Queensland (Qld) will have new definitions and protected attributes, along with a positive duty to eliminate all unlawful discrimination and other objectionable conduct.

Key Takeaways

• The Queensland Parliament has passed significant changes to its Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (ADA) that will apply as of July 1, 2025, including a new positive duty to eliminate all unlawful discrimination, harassment, and other objectionable conduct
• Queensland has expanded the list of attributes protected under anti-discrimination law, which will also include “a combination of two or more attributes.”
• The new positive duty intersects with (but is broader than) the national Commonwealth Respect@Work positive duty and the recent changes to Qld Work Health and Safety (WHS) regulations requiring a sexual harassment prevention plan.

Queensland Passes Changes to Anti-Discrimination Law

On Sept. 10, the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Bill 2024 (“the Bill”) was passed by the Queensland Parliament to amend the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.

Last-minute amendments by the government went further than the Bill as introduced back in June, which had only proposed changes to protected attributes, and added the positive duty and related procedural changes.

The Bill as passed now also includes significant reforms to the definitions of discrimination and to the burden of proof in discrimination proceedings, enacting...

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