It is crucial that the regulators within the
new regulatory model have appropriate
understanding, skills and knowledge
in relation to sexual harassment. The
Commission therefore recommends
that the Fair Work Ombudsman and
Fair Work Commission ensure that their
staff undertake training and education
on the nature, drivers and impacts of
sexual harassment to inform their work,
and that statutory office holders are also
encouraged to undertake this training
and education. This should be undertaken
with guidance from the Workplace Sexual
Harassment Council. The training and
education should include information on
the role of gender inequality in sexual
harassment, and make clear that it is a
form of gender-based violence.
Work health and safety
Established in 2011, the Model WHS
laws comprise the Model WHS Act, the
Model WHS Regulations and 24 Model
Codes of Practice. The Model WHS laws,
implemented in all jurisdictions other than
Victoria and Western Australia, do not
expressly prohibit sexual harassment.
However, they impose a positive duty on
employers to prevent sexual harassment
in the context of the broad duty to
eliminate or manage hazards and risks
to a worker’s health, which includes
psychological health and therefore sexual
harassment.
In consultations and submissions, the
Commission heard that the lack of an
express WHS Regulation, Code of Practice
or guideline means that workplace sexual
harassment is not being addressed
by WHS regulators or employers in a
consistent, robust or systemic way. There
is an urgent need to raise awareness that
sexual harassment is a work health and
safety issue.
Relevantly, an independent review
into the Model WHS laws, released in
February 2019 (the Boland review), also
recommended the development of
additional regulations on how to identify
psychosocial risks in the workplace and
the appropriate control measures to
manage those risks.58
Accordingly, the Commission recommends
that WHS ministers agree to amend
the model WHS Regulation to deal with
psychological health, as recommended
by the Boland Review, and develop
guidelines on sexual harassment, with
a view to informing the development of
a Code of Practice. Sexual harassment
should be defined consistently with the
definition of sexual harassment in the Sex
Discrimination Act.
The Commission acknowledges that this
will require a cultural and institutional shift
in a field that has historically focused on
physical harm and risks. The Commission
therefore also recommends that the
staff of Safe Work Australia and other
WHS regulators, with guidance from the
Workplace Sexual Harassment Council,
undertake training and education on the
nature, drivers and impacts of sexual
harassment to inform their work.
Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces • 2020 • 31