Guarantee of service

What we do

We are a New South Wales state government body. We strive to eliminate discrimination in New South Wales by:  

• answering enquiries  
• investigating and resolving complaints
• raising awareness about discrimination and its impacts 
  
• granting exemptions to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)
  
• advising the government about discrimination issues
• administering the civil complaints scheme under the Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024 (NSW). 

What services do we provide?

We provide the following services:

• general enquiry service
• discrimination complaint handling service
• community information sessions.

What can you expect from us?

• We will always communicate with you in a professional, courteous, and respectful matter and we expect that you will extend all our staff the same courtesy.
• We will handle your matter confidentially and according to the law.
• We will provide you with information about discrimination, but we do not offer legal advice.
• We aim to provide accessible services. Let us know if you need any adjustment to our service and we will try to accommodate you. 
• When you lodge a complaint, we may ask you for more information. 
• If we cannot handle your complaint, we can make the decision not to investigate. You can also withdraw your complaint at any time.

What we expect from you

Anti-Discrimination NSW promotes respectful communication and has zero tolerance of verbal or written abuse. Such behaviour may result in restriction of our services to you.

To help us support you effectively, we ask that everyone engages respectfully. This means:

• Avoid swearing, name-calling, or insulting others
• Speak calmly - shouting or yelling is not okay
• Use polite language rather than making demands
• Respect the rules and limitations of our process

If you need support or a representative to help you follow these guidelines, we can refer you to someone who may be able to assist. 

You are welcome to reach out anonymously if you just have questions. To go through our formal complaint process, we will need to identify you in our records and share your name with the person or organisation you are complaining about (however we can keep your contact details confidential, if you request this). 

We are not an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call Triple Zero (000). 

Anti-Discrimination NSW process

When you lodge a complaint with Anti-Discrimination NSW, you are starting a legal process.

Anti-Discrimination NSW is impartial. We do not advocate for either the complainant or the respondent. It is your responsibility to provide clear and detailed information about the alleged discrimination.

Your complaint will be assigned to a Conciliation Officer who will be your main point of contact wherever possible. Sometimes they maybe be unavailable, such as if they are on leave, not working that day or if they leave the organisation. You won’t need to speak with anyone outside our team unless you choose to.

Reasonable adjustments to our process

Anti-Discrimination NSW procedures are guided by legislation, and while we can consider reasonable adjustments to support accessibility, we cannot alter the legal process to suit individual preferences.

We set timeframes according to legislation and to ensure we can manage your complaint as quickly as possible. If you are unable to respond within a timeframe due to exceptional circumstances such as hospitalisation, Anti-Discrimination NSW allows for one extension of time for your response. If you keep missing deadlines, Anti-Discrimination NSW may assume you no longer wish to continue with your complaint and could close it under section 92C of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW).

If you need help with managing your complaint, Anti-Discrimination NSW can refer you to organisations which may be able to help you. 

In some cases, we may also be able to help you write your complaint under section 88A of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). This assistance is limited and only available in certain situations. If you need assistance, please email us with a brief explaination of why you need help and we will consider your request.