Tribunals

Two Queensland tribunals deal with matters under the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. For work-related matters the tribunal is the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (the QIRC) and for all other matters the tribunal is the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (the QCAT).

The tribunals deal with:

Until December 2009 anti-discrimination matters were dealt with by the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (the QADT). The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal ceased to exist when the QCAT was established and became responsible for dealing with anti-discrimination matters. Since March 2017 the QIRC has been responsible for work-related anti-discrimination matters, and the QCAT continues to be responsible for all other anti-discrimination matters.

More information:

Referred complaints

Complaints that are not resolved through conciliation in the Commission may be referred to the relevant tribunal for hearing and determination.

A complainant may ask for a complaint to be referred after a conciliation conference, or if the Commissioner gives a written notice that the complaint cannot be resolved through conciliation.

A respondent may ask for a complaint to be referred if it has not been finalised within six months.

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Protecting a complainant's interests

The relevant tribunal may make an order prohibiting a person from doing something that might prejudice conciliation of a complaint, or an order that the tribunal might make on the hearing of the complaint.

An application can be made at any time after a complaint is lodged and before it is referred to the tribunal by the complainant or by the Commissioner.

Each of the tribunals has power to grant interim orders after a complaint is referred to it.

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Granting exemptions

The relevant tribunal may grant a temporary exemption from the operation of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. For more detailed information about Tribunal exemptions, go to the page Applications for Tribunal exemptions.

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Providing opinions

The relevant tribunal may provide an opinion about how the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 applies to a specific situation. A request for an opinion can only be made by the Commissioner, if a person asks the Commissioner for advice about how the Act applies in the situation.

The Commissioner is not obliged to ask the tribunal for an opinion, and the tribunal is not obliged to provide an opinion.

There have not been any requests for opinions to the QCAT or to the QIRC .

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Contact details

Queensland Industrial Relations Commission

Street address: Level 21 Central Plaza 2, 66 Eagle Street, Brisbane (Counter enquiries from 8.30 am to 4.45 pm.)

Postal address: GPO Box 373, Brisbane Qld 4001.

Phone: 1300 592 987 (for Queensland callers only, charged at the cost of a local call); (07) 3227 8060 (for mobile callers and other callers from outside Queensland).

Fax: 07 3221 6074

Email: qirc.registry@qirc.qld.gov.au

Visit the QIRC website

Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Street address: Level 9 Bank of Queensland Building, 259 Queen Street, Brisbane - near the corner of Edward Street, next to the GPO.

Postal address: GPO Box 1639, Brisbane Qld 4001

Phone: 1300 753 228 between 8.30am and 5.00pm

Fax: 07 3221 9156

Email: enquiries@qcat.qld.gov.au

Visit the QCAT website

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Published decisions

Queensland Industrial Relations Commission

Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Anti-Discrimination Tribunal Queensland

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