When Equality Becomes Exclusion: DEI and the Erosion of Fairness in Australia
Once upon a time, Australia had a pretty solid idea of what fairness looked like. You worked hard, you had a go, and — if you were up to scratch — you got the job. It didn’t matter where your parents were born, what colour your skin was, or whether you ticked a demographic box. That was the promise of Australia’s anti-discrimination laws: a level playing field.
Fast forward to now, and that promise is looking a bit frayed.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — DEI for short, has crept into every corner of public life. Government departments, schools, corporates, the arts, the ABC — you name it. What started as a push for tolerance and opportunity has ballooned into a kind of ideological HR crusade. One where identity too often trumps merit, and where being the “best person for the job” is no longer the gold standard — unless, of course, you happen to be the right kind of diverse.
Here’s the kicker: DEI might sound like a good idea, but in practice, it’s clashing with the very laws that were meant to protect all of us from discrimination in the first place.
What the Law Says (and Where DEI Crosses the Line)
Australian anti-discrimination laws are pretty clear. You can’t treat someone unfairly because of things like their sex, race, age, disability, political beliefs, religion. That’s the backbone of acts like the Sex Discrimination Act, Racial Discrimination Act, and the Fair Work Act. These laws protect individuals — not identity groups. The focus is on fairness, not outcomes.
But DEI programs are increasingly less about removing barriers and more about manufacturing results. Want an example?
Gender quotas in leadership roles mean a man may be passed over because he’s a man, even if he’s the most qualified candidate. That’s not equity. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Race-based recruitment streams in government and corporates have been designed to exclude anyone who doesn’t fit a specific racial profile. In the name of inclusion, we’ve normalised exclusion.
Yes, there are legal loopholes to allow for “special measures” under the guise of redressing disadvantage, but when these programs start shutting people out based solely on identity — rather than improving access for all — they’re walking a fine legal line. Make no mistake, that line has already been crossed in several recent court actions.
Who’s Really Being Left Out?
Here’s what no one wants to say out loud: the “average” Australian — the one who works, pays taxes, volunteers on weekends, and doesn’t shout about their identity — is being quietly pushed to the sidelines. Their demographic is considered too represented, too privileged, too… boring.
But when institutions start selecting people to tick boxes instead of choosing the best candidate for the role, we all lose. Australia loses.
Merit isn’t just a buzzword — it’s the engine that keeps this country running. Whether it’s the teacher in the classroom, the engineer designing our infrastructure, or the nurse making life-and-death decisions, we need the best person in the role - period, not the most photogenic team line-up for a diversity brochure.
Lowering the bar doesn’t just hurt the individual who missed out. It weakens the system. It risks performance and breeds resentment, not just from the people being excluded, but from those who got the role and know, deep down, that they weren’t the top choice.
That’s not inclusion. That’s tokenism with a smiley face sticker.
What’s It Doing to Society?
It’s not just workplaces feeling the effects. DEI culture is now baked into schools, universities, councils, and even the arts. We’re raising kids to see the world in categories, not as people with shared humanity and character but as group identities in a hierarchy of oppression.
And here’s the damage:
It divides. When people are constantly being told they're either “overrepresented” or “marginalised,” we stop seeing each other as equals. We start resenting each other. That’s how nations unravel — not in chaos, but in quiet, simmering distrust.
It silences. Good people are biting their tongues. Teachers, nurses, public servants — they know something’s off, but they’re too afraid to say it. Nobody wants to be branded a bigot for asking, “Shouldn’t we just pick the best person for the job?”
It diminishes real inclusion. Because when identity becomes a shortcut to opportunity, the genuine obstacles some people face are trivialised. We all deserve equal respect, but equal respect doesn’t mean equal outcomes no matter how much the DEI consultants charge to say otherwise.
The Quiet Pushback
More and more Australians are starting to feel it. That quiet unease, that sense that something is shifting beneath our feet. This is not because we’re against diversity. This country is diverse and most of us are proud of that, but because we’re watching fairness be redefined in ways that no longer make sense.
We’re not allowed to say “the best person should get the job” without being accused of ignorance. We’re not allowed to question quotas without being told we don’t care about inclusion, yet, every time someone’s passed over for not fitting a DEI profile, or every time someone’s told to “step aside for the greater good,” a little more trust is lost, a little more unity is chipped away.
So Where to From Here?
Australia doesn’t need to choose between fairness and diversity. We just need to remember what fairness actually means.
It means removing barriers, not creating new ones. It means treating people as individuals, not avatars of race, gender or background. It means backing talent, effort and contribution no matter what box someone ticks, because if we keep choosing people based on what they represent instead of what they can do, we won’t just be short-changing individuals, we’ll be short-changing the whole country.
Want your voice heard?
If you want to tell them that DEI has gone too far- the email addresses of the Minister and Liberal Shadow Minister for Employment are below. Nowadays, a letter can have more impact. If that is what you would like to do their postal details are also below - let them know how you feel.
Amanda Rishworth MP
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations-
email: amanda.rishworth.mp@aph.gov.au
mail: 232 Main South Rd Morphett Vale SA 5162
Tim Wilson MP
Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment
email: tim.wilson.mp@aph.gov.au
mail: 677 Nepean Highway Brighton East VIC 3187