Workplace Relations - discrimination in NSW

The year 2014 saw a number of important developments in employment and safety law, most importantly in the area of discrimination. The area of discrimination impacts on all areas of NSW government and agencies, in particular those entities that provide services to members of the public. And with a recent Federal Court decision in Richardson v Oracle Corporation Australia Pty Ltd [2014], damages payments for discrimination claims are set to increase.

Set out below are a number of the key discrimination cases from 2014 that impact on NSW government departments and agencies.

Discrimination on the basis of carer's responsibilities

In the decision of Wright v Commissioner of Police [2014], Constable Wright complained to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal that the NSW Commissioner of Police had discriminated against him by refusing his applications to transfer to a different police station based on his carer's responsibilities. Under a parenting agreement