ADC Annual Report 1999/2000

Overview

The Program Objective

The NT Anti-Discrimination Commission's program objective is the promotion of equality of opportunity for Territorians and the protection from unlawful discrimination on defined grounds and in specified areas.

The Commission investigates and conciliates complaints within its jurisdiction. The Commissioner may hold formal hearings where matters cannot be resolved by conciliation and may make certain orders, including the payment of compensation. The Commission provides public education programs, training, consultation and research.

The Commissioner is required to assist both government and non-government organisations develop and implement strategies to overcome unlawful discriminatory acts and practices, and to advise the Northern Territory Government on the laws and regulations of the Territory to ensure they are consistent with the NT Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 (the Act).

The Commissioner may prepare and publish guidelines and codes of practice to assist people and organisations to comply with the Act.

There is a requirement:

to research and develop additional grounds of discrimination and to make recommendations for the inclusion of such grounds in the Act;
to examine practices, alleged practices or proposed practices of a person, at the Commissioner's own initiative or when required by the Minister, to determine whether they are, or would be, inconsistent with the purposes of the Act and, when required by the Minister, to report the results of the examination to the Minister; and
if the Commissioner considers it appropriate to do so, to intervene in a proceeding that involves issues of equality of opportunity or discrimination with the leave of the court hearing the proceeding and subject to any conditions imposed by the court.

Special Measures: The Act allows for discrimination to take place in a program, plan or arrangement which is designed to promote equality of opportunity for a group of people who are disadvantaged or have a special need because of an attribute. A special measure could be a training program designed for a group of people to access work in areas where the group have not traditionally been employed such as a pre-vocational course for young women in carpentry, or a course at a university for Aboriginal students who have not previously had access to such courses.