Respect@Work
In March 2020, the Australian Human Rights Commission released the Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report. The report made 55 recommendations directed to all levels of government and the private sector for policy and legislative reforms to prevent and address workplace sexual harassment.
There are 5 key areas of focus which underpin the recommendations:
- Data and research
- Primary prevention
- The legal and regulatory framework
- Workplace prevention and response
- Support, advice and advocacy
Responsibility for implementing Respect@Work is shared between the Australian Government, independent government agencies, state and territory governments, and the private sector.
The Respect@Work Council brings together leaders from key government regulators and policy makers responsible for sexual harassment policies and complaints handling, together with employer groups, worker representatives, community organisations and other experts, to improve coordination, consistency and clarity across existing legal and regulatory frameworks.
The government is committed to fully implementing all recommendations of the Respect@Work Report and significant work is underway to progress these. A range of implementation highlights are available on the Respect@Work implementation highlights page.
A consultation process is currently underway to determine which costs model will apply to discrimination proceedings under Commonwealth anti-discrimination law. Visit our consultation
hub to provide a submission.