All that is about to change, though, if the Prime Minister s latest announcement is any guide. Scott Morrison unveiled plans on Thursday to stamp out sexual harassment in the workplace, with the government to adopt all recommendations of the Respect@Work report in part or in full. The new women s taskforce met for the first time on Tuesday and discussed the government s response to the report handed down by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins more than a year ago. Prime Minister Scott Morrison making the announcement with Senator Michaelia Cash. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage Mr Morrison confirmed the federal government had accepted all 55 recommendations - which he described as a game changer - either wholly, in part, or in principle.
This is a culture we have to change across our society. Mr Morrison said the government would prioritise prevention of sexual harassment and make the complaint system easier to navigate. He said Ms Jenkin s report also revealed an urgent need for better data on sexual harassment. The report found nearly 40 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men had suffered sexual harassment in recent times. Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said the alarming rate was unacceptable and the cabinet was united in our response to the report. In our response, what we do is set out our long-term commitment to preventing and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace, she said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Minister for Women Marise Payne.
The Morrison government has outlined how it will overhaul its approach to dealing with workplace sexual harassment in its response to the [email protected] report.
Speaking in Canberra today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would address all 55 recommendations put forward by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins in the [email protected] report.
“All 55 recommendations are either agreed wholly, in part or in principle, or noted when they are directed to organisations other than the Australian government,” Morrison said.
The [email protected] report, which was handed to the government in January 2020, was the result of a national inquiry established to identify ways to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
Published April 8, 2021
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Not long after being excoriated (repeatedly) for its handling of alleged sexual assault in the workplace, the Morrison Government has unveiled its official response to a sexual harassment report a year after it was released. From the “reservoir of respect” to the “Roadmap for Respect”, here’s what you need to know about it.
8 April 2021 4:22pm
The federal government will adopt 55 recommendations of the Respect@Work report, either in full or in part, more than a year after receiving the document in January 2020.
The landmark report from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins was released publicly last March, and includes recommendations which are aimed at shifting the system from being complaints-based with the onus of proof on victims to one where employers must work to actively create safe workplaces by stamping out sexual harassment.
The changes to the Fair Work Act and the Sex Discrimination Act include holding politicians and judges, previously exempt from the laws, accountable when sexual harassment claims are made in their workplace. Sexual harassment will now be a valid reason for dismissal and will also be included in the Fair Work Act’s definition of “serious misconduct”.