E/CN.4/2002/24/Add.1 page 12 2. Combating racial discrimination in Queensland 17. The Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland administers the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (ADA). The ADA aims to promote equality of opportunity for everyone by protecting them from unfair discrimination in various areas of public life and from sexual harassment. It provides protection against public acts of racial and religious hatred or vilification. The Commission has competence to receive complaints of discrimination, to inquire into and attempt to remedy them and to carry out investigations into contraventions of the ADA. Matters that are not resolved by the Commission are referred to the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal for hearing and determination. The Commission also undertakes community education programmes to prevent racism and racial discrimination. 3. Combating racism and racial discrimination in Victoria 18. The Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria was established in 1995 in accordance with the Equal Opportunity Act of Victoria with the mandate to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment in Victoria. It handles thousands of inquiries and complaints each year, and produces and runs training and education programmes designed to prevent discrimination and harassment and raise awareness of these issues. Complaints concerning both racial and religious discrimination have increased over the five past years; however, the percentage of such complaints was the same in 1999/2000 as in 1995/96. 19. The Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria publishes various kinds of information material, such as a review of complaints lodged by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and a booklet on how to implement equal opportunity in organizations. It also publishes A Guide for Aboriginal People and leaflets in different languages, such as Making a complaint in Amharic, Croatian, Greek, Italian, Somali and Tigrigna. 20. The government of Victoria proposed to introduce new legislation to promote racial and religious tolerance. The legislation will make it unlawful to vilify a person or a group on the basis of their race or religion. The government prepared and distributed a discussion paper on the proposal in order to hear and take into consideration the opinions of all members of the population. Community consultations were held in February 2001 and a legislative proposal was to be introduced into Parliament the same year. 4. Combating racial discrimination in the Northern Territory 21. The Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Act 1992 is designed, subject to limited exceptions, to eliminate discrimination against persons on the grounds of race (including ethnic origin). The Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission is an independent, impartial body established to investigate and help resolve complaints of discrimination and harassment. It also provides training and education about anti-discrimination and diversity policies to businesses, government departments, schools and individuals. Furthermore, it provides advice and assistance to persons relating to the Act as the Commissioner thinks fit. The Commission publishes factsheets in various languages including Tagalog, Vietnamese, Portuguese,