Interpretation of race by act
The various Australian acts relating to racial discrimination use different definitions of “race”. Some of the State and Territory legislative definitions provide wider coverage than the Federal Racial Discrimination Act (RDA). The table below summarises the scope and the interpretation of “race” in each of the acts using terminology contained in those acts. No inferences are made about the scope and interpretation of “race” as defined in each act.
| Act | Colour | Decent | Nationality | Country of origin | Ethnic origin | National origin | Social origin | Ethno-religious / religious beliefs | Ancestry | Ethnicity | Immigration status | Racial hatred or vilification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDA | See RHA | |||||||||||
| RHA | ||||||||||||
| HREOCA | ||||||||||||
| NSW | ||||||||||||
| VIC | ||||||||||||
| QLD | ||||||||||||
| SA | ||||||||||||
| WA | ||||||||||||
| NT | ||||||||||||
| ACT | ||||||||||||
| TAS |