Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010

The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) is a key piece of legislation that protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation in areas such as education, employment, services, and access to facilities. For children and young people with disability, it provides a strong legal foundation for their right to fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory treatment in schools and other settings.

Under the Act, schools and service providers have a legal obligation to:

• Not discriminate against a person because of disability
• Provide reasonable adjustments to enable equal access and participation
• Avoid practices that indirectly disadvantage people with disability
• Actively prevent discrimination and harm

Discrimination is not only about exclusion. It also includes:

• Failing to provide appropriate supports
• Imposing rigid systems that ignore individual needs
• Using policies in ways that disproportionately harm children with disability
• Ignoring parent input or expert recommendations

The Act recognises that equal treatment does not always mean identical treatment. True equality often requires adjustments, flexibility and individualised planning so that a child with disability has the same opportunity to access education, safety and wellbeing as their peers.

At Autism Goals, the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 underpins much of our advocacy work. We use it to:

• Support families when schools fail to provide reasonable adjustments
• Identify systemic discrimination and exclusion
• Strengthen tribunal and complaint documentation
• Advocate for rights-based, lawful practice in education settings

The Act is not about conflict.
It is about accountability, dignity, and ensuring that children with disability are protected by law, not marginalised by systems.