ALA

Wednesday, 1 October 2008

The federal government’s announcement today that it would make it easier for people to prove they’d been discriminated against on the basis of their age is a critical milestone in protecting and valuing mature age workers, Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination, Elizabeth Broderick said today on International Day of Older Persons.

“This welcome change will bring the Age Discrimination Act into line with other federal anti-discrimination laws,” Commissioner Broderick said. 

“In removing the need for age to be the dominant reason for unlawful treatment, this change will send a loud signal to employers and recruitment agencies to think twice about dismissing the value of workers aged over 45.”

Commissioner Broderick said valuing mature age workers and attracting and retaining them in the paid workforce was a smart way to help tackle the local skills crisis.

“Most of us enter the workforce, gain more skills and maybe get promoted. Whatever our working path, we generally use our hard earned experience to make valuable contributions to the workplace,” Ms Broderick said.

“The reality of age discrimination is that we wake up one morning just like any other to find we’ve been branded ‘out of step’ or ‘too old’. That’s why the federal government’s announcement is an important development. Up until now, it’s been difficult for older people who’ve been put out to pasture by their employer to prove they’ve been discriminated against due to their age. Similarly, it’s been difficult for over 45s who’ve been given short shrift by recruitment agencies to prove their age was the cause.”

Ms Broderick said the Australian Human Rights Commission had received 417 age discrimination complaints between mid 2004 to mid 2008, with 73 per cent of these being employment-related. 

“In a time of skills shortage, we must be innovative and act now to make workforce participation attractive to the mature aged. Employers could consider retraining programs over the work cycle, or phased retirement and flexible work options for example. Likewise, the federal government should continue to review and improve laws and policies in the area.” Ms Broderick said.

“This is not about forcing every mature age person to work. This is about choice. If nothing else, we must realise that to build a strong economy, we are reliant on the ongoing contribution of older people now more than ever,” Ms Broderick said.

“International Day of Older Persons has given us the long overdue opportunity to honour the contributions older people make and continue to make to the strength of our economy and the health and wellbeing of our country. After all, our future depends on it.”