Political Conviction

In the ACT it is against the law for someone to discriminate against you because of a characteristic that you have, or that someone thinks you have, in an area of public life such as employment, education, accommodation, provision of goods and services, and clubs.

It is against the law for someone to discriminate against you because of your political conviction. Political conviction includes having or not having a political conviction, belief, opinion or affiliation, and engaging or not engaging in political activity.

Example of political conviction discrimination

Joanna applied for a job selling camping equipment. As part of her interview, she was asked if she supported any political party. Joanna said she supported a conservative party. She was not offered the job, and was provided feedback that her political views were incompatible with the views of other staff members.

Are there any exceptions?

It is not unlawful to discriminate against a person on the ground of their political conviction in relation to employment or work as an adviser to a member of the Legislative Assembly, or as a worker for a political party.