Unfortunately, age discrimination is still very much alive and well in the workplace and is often a distressing experience.

Age discrimination can include:

  • mature workers missing out on jobs because they might retire soon or they’re too old to fit in
  • mature workers being overlooked for training because ‘it’s pointless’
  • employers basing redundancies on someone’s age, or pushing mature workers to retire
  • advertising a role for someone ‘young and dynamic’.

How to deal with it

If you see or experience age discrimination, you might want to talk directly to the person involved. If you’re not comfortable doing that, talk to your manager or Human Resources. 

You can also make a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). If you prefer, you could ask a solicitor, trade union representative or advocate to lodge the complaint on your behalf.

Lodging a complaint

It’s free to lodge a complaint with the AHRC. Make sure your complaint is in writing and includes all the important details, such as what exactly happened, when and where it happened, and who was involved.

The AHRC has a complaint form that you can fill in and send via post, fax or online. If you can’t put your complaint in writing, the AHRC can help you. While you can lodge a complaint in any language, if you need an interpreter or translator, they can arrange one for you.

Find out more about age discrimination in the workplace