I have a complaint of discrimination I wish to make against my former school. I’ve heard that I can take this to a state tribunal (I assume ACAT as I live in the ACT) but I’ve also heard I can complain about it to a federal tribunal? Is this the AAT? How do I complain to both?
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Answer by Kate Dodgson, Indooroopilly 4068 QLD
- You are correct that complaints of discrimination can be made at both the state and federal level.
- ACAT deals with complaints of discrimination and you can file a complaint there under state anti-discrimination laws.
- You can also file a complaint at the federal level under federal laws but not to the AAT as they do not have jurisdiction (authority) over anti-discrimination matters.
- There is a federal body called the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) which handles complaints of discrimination under the federal anti-discrimination laws.
- If the AHRC cannot resolve the matter they will send it to the Federal Court to be determined.
- For more information about this please see our Anti-Discrimination topic.