New equal-status legislation will be brought into operation in the first half of 2000, according to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Mr O'Donoghue was speaking at the official opening of the building which houses the offices of the new Equality Authority and the Director of Equality Investigations.
He also signed the new Equality Act, outlawing discrimination in employment, into law yesterday.
He said the Equal Status Bill, which covers discrimination in the provision of services, would be brought forward before the end of the year.
The official opening was performed by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who stressed the commitment of the State to a proactive approach to eliminating discrimination.
"This legislation will work if Irish people want it to work," he said. "And those of us in leadership, in the media, in public life, in all of society, need to understand that.
"We all need to accept our responsibility to make sure that it does work and bring about change and an end to discrimination."
Mr Niall Crowley, chief executive of the Equality Authority, said it had received a wide range of submissions on its strategic plan.
"They focus our attention on quality casework, on setting precedent and achieving interpretations under the new legislation, on the development of codes of practice and on the implementation of equality reviews," he said.
However, Mr O'Donoghue stressed the need to also focus on the needs of the small business sector.
"I have asked the authority to provide tailored advice and information to that sector. I expect that these activities will be the primary focus of the staffing resources being provided to the authority, " he said.
The equality infrastructure introduced yesterday had a financial allocation of £3.7 million this year. This included provision of the new building and about 70 staff, 45 in the Equality Authority and 27 in the Office of the Director of Equality Investigations.
The former minister for equality and law reform, Mr Mervyn Taylor, who initiated the legislation, was welcomed by the Taoiseach, as was the former minister for justice, Mrs Nora Owen. It was also attended by representatives of organisations dealing with groups protected by the legislation.
While they welcomed the new legislation and the authority, some were not without their reservations.
Mr Donal Toolin, of the Forum of People with Disabilities, said a constitutional amendment was needed to guarantee the rights of people with disabilities as the term "reasonable accommodation" in the legislation set limits on what had to be provided to make premises accessible for people with disabilities.
Ms Ronnie Fay, of the Travellers' centre, Pavee Point, told The Irish Times they wanted Section 15 of the Equal Status Bill amended as it permitted discrimination if the owner of premises thought other customers would object to the presence of, for example, Travellers.
They also wanted it extended to the public service, including the Garda and the local authorities, which were excluded at the moment.