Recommendation 221

The Australian Government believes that people are entitled to respect, dignity and the opportunity to participate in society and receive the protection of the law regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status. The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) prohibits discrimination on these grounds in a range of areas of public life. A review of Commonwealth laws found these laws are able to operate consistently with protections in the Sex Discrimination Act against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.

Exemptions for Australian state and territory laws from the operation of protections under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 ceased on 31 July 2016—except specific exemptions for Western Australian surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology laws which ceased on 31 July 2017.