Labor will legislate to make it clear that employers have a positive duty to reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation, as far as possible.

• The National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces was carried out by Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins.
• The outcome of the Inquiry, the Respect @ Work Report, released in March 2020, includes 55 recommendations for reform.
• The Inquiry found that one in three people experienced sexual harassment at work, two in five women, and one in four men.
• The Inquiry also found that the current legal and regulatory system is not working to protect workers and reform is urgently required.

Unlike the Government, Labor takes the Respect @Work report seriously. That’s why Labor will not sweep the widespread, harmful and hugely costly problem of sexual harassment back under the carpet.

• The former Attorney-General, Christian Porter, left the Report to gather dust on his desk for over a year without taking serious action.
• When the Government was finally forced to take action, after months of controversy, it failed to support the crucial recommendation relating to employer responsibility.
• Experts panned the Government’s response for having massive gaps and failing to commit to urgent legislative changes.

The Morrison Government’s botched response to the Respect @ Work report is yet another example where big announcements are made while failing to follow through with the hard work of meaningful reform.