Resume rules in Australia
What employers in Australia expect on a Resume (CV less common), what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Australia or a resume for Australia: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in English.
This is research, not legal advice. Employment and data protection law changes, state and provincial rules matter in federal countries, and practice varies by industry and seniority. Each entry shows when it was looked up and how confident we are. Where nothing reliable was published it says Not found rather than a guess.
Law and practice, side by side
The label on the right is what local hiring expects. The two lines under it are the law and the habit, which often disagree.
Photo: Avoid
Avoid; including photo can enable age or appearance discrimination
What the law says: No legal requirement; Age Discrimination in Employment Act 2004 and federal anti-discrimination law restrict age/appearance-based screening
Date of birth: Avoid
Avoid; age omission is best practice
What the law says: No legal requirement; Age Discrimination in Employment Act 2004 restricts age-based discrimination
Marital status: Avoid
Avoid; not expected
What the law says: No legal requirement
Sex or gender: Avoid
Avoid; not included in modern practice
What the law says: No requirement; sex discrimination prohibited under Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (now part of Anti-Discrimination Act)
Nationality: Not found
Visa status often noted separately for sponsorship roles; not on main resume
What the law says: Visa sponsorship may require declaration; Australian citizenship/work visa status relevant for employment
National ID number: Not found
TFN provided to employer after hire, not on resume
What the law says: No requirement for Tax File Number (TFN) or other ID on resume
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Resume (CV less common)
- Language to submit in
- English
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages, exceptionally 3 pages for extensive experience
- Address detail expected
- Suburb/city and postcode; full street address not typical
- Signature and date
- Not required; digital resumes standard
- Officially prescribed form
- None; however, ATS-friendly formats recommended
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- No requirement; Anti-Discrimination Act (federal) prohibits discrimination
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- No requirement; Disability Discrimination Act 1992 allows for voluntary disclosure and reasonable adjustment requests
- Other customary attachments
- References typically provided separately or on request (usually 2-3 professional references); qualification evidence on request
- Employer may not ask for
- Age, marital/family status, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, disability status, health information, union membership, criminal record (with limited exceptions per relevant statutes)
- Named statutes
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act 2004; Sex Discrimination Act 1984; Disability Discrimination Act 1992; Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
- Data protection regime
- Privacy Act 1988 (amended); Australian Privacy Principles (APP) 1-13; no single comprehensive privacy law equivalent to GDPR
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Age Discrimination Act 2004; Sex Discrimination Act 1984; Disability Discrimination Act 1992; Racial Discrimination Act 1975; Anti-Discrimination Act (state-based in some states)
- Local language source
- English only
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Corrected.
Notes: Australian practice strongly disfavors age and photo disclosure due to age discrimination law. Resume format (not CV) is dominant. No national ID number used. References provided separately. 1-2 pages is strict standard.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this