In support of this goal, Monash University’s Department of Architecture was commissioned to develop a scoping report on adaptable housing. Commissioner Gauntlett acted as the client for several design research units taught during semester one 2021. Adaptable Housing for People with Disability in Australia: A Scoping Study, published in April 2021, considers design-informed approaches and new innovations to adapting, retrofitting, or fabricating existing homes to improve accessibility for people with disability. An exhibition of the outcomes of the design research units will be held in the second half of 2021. Dr Gauntlett was also successful in advocating for the inclusion of mandatory minimum accessibility standards in the National Construction Code 2022. The Commissioner wrote to ten state and federal Building Ministers highlighting the obligation of governments to legislate access to housing under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the social and economic benefits of increasing accessible housing. These letters drew attention to the findings of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which recommended that Australia amend existing legislation to mandate accessibility standards. The Commissioner’s correspondence was complemented by meetings with three Building Ministers to discuss the benefits of accessible housing for both people with disability, and the broader community. The Building Ministers agreed in April 2021 to include mandatory minimum accessibility standards in the National Construction Code 2022 and consequently all new housing will comply with the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG) Silver Standard. This is a significant development which will ensure that accessibility is embedded in all housing design and will enable people with disability to access housing which meets their needs. Respect@Work In the previous reporting period, Commissioner Jenkins launched the Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces (Respect@Work) report alongside the Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, on 6 March 2020. Respect@Work examined the nature, prevalence, and drivers of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces, and measures to address and prevent it, finding that sexual harassment is pervasive, occurring in every industry and across every level in Australian workplaces. Respect@Work drew on a national survey of 10,000 workers, 60 public consultations with 600 participants, 460 written submissions, and a comprehensive modelling of the high economic costs of workplace sexual harassment by Deloitte Access Economics. In this reporting period – to raise awareness of the report’s findings and recommendations – over 13 Respect@Work webinars were conducted between May and October 2020. The webinars had a broad reach and focused on recommendations that were relevant to particular stakeholder groups – including legal practitioners, employment, legal and regulatory practitioners, workers and unions, government and non-government policy practitioners, international partners, and academics. Feedback indicates that the webinars were well received by key stakeholders and led to increased understanding of and commitment to the Respect@Work recommendations. 40 Australian Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2020–2021

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