Proposed Australian Law Would Make It Employers’ Job to Stop Sexual Harassment
New legislation introduced into Australia’s Parliament will place a “positive duty” on employers to prevent workplace sexual harassment, as part of sweeping changes to improve worker safety.
Under the proposed law, introduced by the government into Parliament on Tuesday, employers will be required to take “reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimization.”
Australia’s Sexual Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said the new model shifts the burden away from individuals to make complaints and instead requires employers to take proactive measures.
The new bill includes seven new legislative changes, including the employers’ positive duty, recommended by Jenkins in her March 2020 Respect At Work report.
One in the three people in Australia said they experienced sexual harassment at work in the past five years, according to a 2018 Human Rights Commission survey, with women more likely than men to be impacted.