Man awarded $5k for Woolies discrimination

A man applying for a job at Woolworths was "sickened beyond belief" when the supermarket giant asked for his age and gender.

Now Woolworths has to pay him $5000 before Christmas.

The company advertised a position for a console operator at a petrol station at Beerwah, on the Sunshine Coast, in December 2013.

Applying online for the position, local unemployed man Steven Willmott was required to complete mandatory fields which included his gender and date of birth, as well as upload documentary proof of his right to work in Australia.

He aborted the application because he was offended by the requirements and subsequently lodged a complaint with the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commission.

During a hearing in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal in September, Woolworths argued the date of birth of an applicant was required to help determine the person's future entitlements, or establish the suitability of a person to work in its BWS liquor stores.

It also maintained a person's gender was relevant due to the company's obligations under a federal government initiative to gather statistics about the gender of applicants.

Mr Willmott said he was "sickened beyond belief" at Woolworths' disregard for the anti-discrimination laws in Australia.

In a judgment handed down last month, QCAT senior member Richard Oliver found Woolworths had contravened the Anti-Discrimination Act and that Mr Willmott had suffered embarrassment and humiliation.

It ordered Woolworths to pay Mr Willmott $5000 by December 19.

Mr Oliver noted Woolworths had already taken steps to change the online application form to address Mr Willmott's complaints.