The Australian Government has released its response to the Respect@Work Report which provided a set of recommendations for preventing and addressing sexual harassment.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Report highlighted that Federal, State and Territory Governments, as well as employers and industry groups, all had an important role to play in supporting the cultural change required.
“In A Roadmap for Respect: Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces (the Roadmap for Respect), the Government provides its response and sets out its long-term commitment to preventing and addressing sexual harassment,” Mr Morrison said.
“Government has agreed to (in full, in-principle, or in-part) or noted all 55 recommendations in the Report,” he said.
“Our response to the Respect@Work Report is about creating a new culture of respectful behaviour in Australian workplaces.”
Mr Morrison said the Government’s response outlined a number of measures and reforms, including the creation of the Respect@Work Implementation taskforce; simplifying and strengthening the legal framework, existing rights and obligations for employees and employers; and supporting greater coordination between Agencies and Services to ensure workers and employers have access to consistent information.
“Government’s response also places an emphasis on preventative measures, acknowledging more can be done to prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the first place,” the Prime Minister said.
He said the Commonwealth had committed to delivering education and training programs across a range of sectors; supporting targeted research and evidence development on prevention strategies; and enhancing data collection and evidence gathering mechanisms.
Mr Morrison the Respect@Work Report was the product of the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces, commissioned in June 2018 and conducted by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomed the Commonwealth’s “considered and constructive” response to its Report.
The Commonwealth’s 24-page Roadmap for Respect can be accessed at this PS News link and the AHRC Commissioner Kate Jenkins s 929-page Report can be downloaded at this this link.
