Discrimination Act of 2026

What it does

1. Ch. 1, proposed Title 1 Ch. 7 Arts. 1 and 2: protects every person against discrimination based on age, race, origin, religion or its absence, disability, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity across specified public and private activities, including perceived characteristics and association.
2. Ch. 1, proposed Art. 3: prohibits direct and indirect discrimination and knowing assistance, requiring necessary and proportionate justification for a disadvantageous neutral rule.
3. Ch. 1, proposed Art. 4: prohibits discriminatory and sexual harassment, conditioning substantial benefits on sexual conduct, and retaliation for complaints, evidence, or accommodation requests.
4. Ch. 1, proposed Art. 5: requires effective disability adjustments without charging the affected person, subject to a proved disproportionate burden and consideration of alternatives.
5. Ch. 1, proposed Art. 6: permits genuine occupational requirements and justified measures addressing disadvantage, preserves religious autonomy and specified State Religion functions, and keeps ordinary services and employment subject to equality duties.
6. Ch. 1, proposed Art. 7: creates civil claims, a staged burden of proof, injunctions, reconsideration, restored access, and compensation, with organizational responsibility and individual liability based on participation.
7. Ch. 1, proposed Art. 8: extends healthcare and education protection to socioeconomic background, prohibits humiliating professional treatment, and requires impartial complaints, records, reasons, and protection from retaliation.
8. Ch. 2, proposed Title 2 Ch. 4 Art. 15 ss. 1 to 5: imposes lawful, impartial, respectful conduct on state staff and appointed leaders in official functions, while excluding elected capacity and protecting legitimate private expression.
9. Ch. 2, proposed Art. 15 s. 6: requires complaints outside the person accused, evidence preservation, reasoned responses, and access to judicial relief without first exhausting internal complaints.
10. Ch. 2, proposed Art. 15 ss. 7 and 8: requires notice, evidence, representation, an impartial reasoned disciplinary decision, proportionate sanctions, paid interim leave unless otherwise authorized, and review by a court or uninvolved superior.
11. Ch. 3, proposed Title 7 Ch. 2 Art. 12: permits a hate aggravation to increase numerical sentencing maxima by up to 50%, requiring separate proof beyond reasonable doubt and generally capping combined enhancements at twice the original maximum.
12. Ch. 4 s. 1, proposed Title 7 Ch. 8 Art. 25: criminalizes knowing intentional discriminatory denial and material retaliation, with ordinary maxima of 25,000 SL and 14 days, rising to 50,000 SL and 30 days for specified aggravation.
13. Ch. 4 s. 2, proposed Title 7 Ch. 9 Art. 10: creates hate harassment requiring intended intimidation and serious proved harm, with penalties up to 10,000 SL and 14 days ordinarily or 50,000 SL and 30 days when aggravated.
14. Ch. 4 s. 2, proposed Art. 11: criminalizes threatening or seriously abusive communications intended to encourage violence or criminal discrimination that create a real and substantial risk, with maxima of 50,000 SL and 30 days or 100,000 SL and 60 days for supplying weapons or operational instructions.
15. Ch. 4 s. 2, proposed Art. 11 ss. 3 and 4: protects criticism, satire, advocacy, religious debate, and reporting by themselves, limits removal to unlawful material, permits proportionate restitution, restrictions and education, and prevents duplicate punishment.
16. Ch. 5 s. 1, proposed Title 7 Ch. 8 Art. 26 ss. 1 and 2: creates coercive control liability for serious repeated domestic psychological, social, financial, digital, or other controlling abuse, regardless of relationship validity or gender, with maxima of 50,000 SL and 30 days or 100,000 SL and 60 days when aggravated.
17. Ch. 5 s. 1, proposed Art. 26 ss. 3 and 4: sets domestic assault maxima of 25,000 SL and 30 days or 150,000 SL and 90 days when aggravated, permits a separate 50% enhancement for other domestic abuse offenses, and controls overlapping enhancements and time barred acts.
18. Ch. 5 s. 1, proposed Art. 26 s. 5: requires contextual evaluation of defensive action and abuse history, retains the prosecution's burden, permits restitution and limited counseling, and prohibits compelled reconciliation or joint mediation.
19. Ch. 5 s. 1, proposed Art. 27: authorizes judicial protective orders up to 180 days, interim orders up to 7 days and police emergency directions up to 48 hours with review, creates knowing breach offenses, and provides accessible assistance without requiring a criminal complaint.
20. Ch. 5 s. 2, proposed Art. 28 ss. 1 to 4: criminalizes deliberate deprivation and wilful neglect exploiting disability related dependence, permits enhancements for other independently proved abuse, and provides restitution, restored aids, and limited restrictions on care or financial functions.
21. Ch. 5 s. 2, proposed Art. 28 s. 5: extends protective orders beyond family relationships, requires replacement care and accessible reporting, and protects the person's will, preferences, and communication needs.
22. Ch. 5 ss. 3 and 4, amended assault and self defense provisions: applies domestic assault rules, assesses necessary force in reasonably perceived circumstances, and places the burden of disproving a properly raised defense on the prosecution.
23. Ch. 5 s. 4, proposed Title 7 Ch. 2 Art. 2 s. 7: excuses fear driven excess during an actual imminent unlawful attack when specified conditions are met and otherwise permits reasoned mitigation for fear, coercion, trauma, or mistaken perception.
24. Ch. 6 s. 1, replacement Title 1 Ch. 1 Art. 1: guarantees expression and press freedom to every person and requires express lawful authority, identified scope, necessity, proportionality, and judicial review for restrictions.
25. Ch. 6 s. 1, replacement Art. 1 ss. 2 and 3: removes the stated discretionary speech privilege suspension regime and provides that criticism or disrespect of the Sovereign or Imperial Family does not alone constitute treason, while retaining independently defined propaganda, defamation, and criminal rules.
26. Ch. 6 s. 2: preserves separate hate harassment or incitement liability only where every element of the relevant offense is proved.