The Australian employment and industrial relations environment is rapidly evolving. We’re seeing a number of legal developments that will have significant impacts on employers and their workplaces.
Here you’ll find updates and analysis on the latest workplace developments relating to Respect@Work and incoming industrial relations changes, ensuring your workplace evolves with the demands of tomorrow.
Respect@Work
Against the backdrop of the momentum of the #MeToo movement, in 2018 the Australian Human Rights Commission was tasked with reviewing and reporting on the prevalence, nature and reporting of workplace sexual harassment in Australian workplaces and making recommendations in relation to the current legal framework to address it and its impacts on individuals and businesses.
In March 2020 the Commission handed down the landmark report, Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report. The Report found that workplace sexual harassment is prevalent and pervasive in every industry, location and at every level, in Australian workplaces, and that as a result, Australians are suffering the significant financial, social, emotional, physical and psychological harm associated with sexual harassment.
The Report has elevated the issue of workplace sexual harassment as a legal, risk and governance issue. It is no longer sufficient for organisations to respond to sexual harassment allegations reactively. More than ever, there is an expectation that organisations take a top-down approach to preventing sexual harassment with Boards and senior management increasingly being held accountable for workplace culture and safety, and that complaints and allegations are properly investigated, a fair process is used and that there is accountability for any substantiated findings.
The recommendations made in the Report have resulted in changes to the law and the Federal government has made very clear that there is more reform to come.