Yellow Triangle Prevention Project

Media Release

May 4, 2000

Australian Commission Condemns Under 25 Scheme As Discriminatory And Repugnant

The Yellow Triangle Prevention Project has received a letter of support from the Anti-Discrimination Commission in Queensland, Australia which has criticised the Under 25 Scheme as discriminatory and repugnant.

The Under 25 Scheme which is currently operating in Christchurch, has failed to take off with the Australian public. The Anti-Discrimination Commission in Queensland Australia (the equivalent of the Human Rights Commission in New Zealand) which operates under the Australia's Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 has called the scheme "indirect discrimination" because it has "the impact of treating less favourably a group of people on the basis of age." As such the Anti-Discrimination Commission "sent out warning signals to the media and the police service about the repugnance of their scheme".

The letter from the Commission also sends best wishes for the formal complaints that have been made to the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.

Yani Johanson, Project Coordinator:

"I praise the Anti-Discrimination Commission for being pro-active in opposing the Under 25 Scheme. Their view that the scheme indirectly discriminates and as such is illegal gives hope to those in New Zealand who have made formal complaints to our own Human Rights Commission for a similar decision."

"It is also encouraging to see the majority of the Australian public shun the scheme because of its nasty nature. This rejection of the Under 25 Scheme is part of growing pressure for the New Zealand police to abort any plans to implement the scheme nationwide."

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