The Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 The Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 makes discrimination unlawful toward job applicants and employees, commission agents and contract workers. The Act states that if certain actions are done for two or more reasons, and one of those reasons is discriminatory, then the action still contravenes the Act and is unlawful. Discrimination occurs where a person treats another person less favourably, on the basis of a certain protected attribute, than he or she would treat a person who does not have that protected attribute. The Anti-Discrimination Act cites those protected attributes as being: sex transgender status disability age race sexual orientation carer’s responsibilities, and marital or domestic status. Sexual harassment is also unlawful under the Act. Sexual harassment is any unwelcome act of a sexual nature which is likely to cause offence to a reasonable person, or a request for sexual favours. Sexual harassment can occur to both men and women and can be directed towards the same sex. The Act has more extensive anti-vilification provisions than legislation in other States and Territories. It prohibits: racial vilification (Part 3A, Division 5) transgender vilification (Part 3A Division 5) homosexual vilification (Part 4C Division 4), and HIV/AIDS vilification (Part 4F). Vilification is a public act which is done to incite hatred toward a particular group. ‘Public acts’ includes the dissemination and distribution of materials which are likely to cause hatred (and therefore can extend to work emails or memos), and can include wearing clothing with insignias or emblems which might be offensive. Get More Information on Workplace Discrimination in NSW