• Culture—the building of
cultures of trust and respect,
that minimise the risk of sexual
harassment occurring and, if it
does occur, ensure it is dealt with
in a way that minimises harm to
workers. This includes the role
of policies and human resources
practices in setting organisational
culture.
• Knowledge—new and better
approaches to workplace
education and training, to
demonstrate an employer’s
commitment to addressing
harassment and initiate change
by developing a collective
understanding of expected
workplace behaviours and
processes.
To better respond to sexual harassment
the Commission recommends action in
the following areas or domains:
• Support—prioritising worker
wellbeing and provision of
support to workers, including
before they make a report, as
well as after they report and
during any formal processes.
• Reporting—increasing the
options available to workers
to make a report of workplace
sexual harassment and address
barriers to reporting, and
creating new ways for business
owners and employers to
intervene to address sexual
harassment, other than
launching a formal investigation.
Adopting a victim-centred
approach to the way
investigations are conducted
when a report is made can
minimise unnecessary harm to
workers.
• Measuring—the collection of
data at a workplace-level and
industry-level, to help improve
understanding of the scope and
nature of the problem posed by
sexual harassment. This includes
understanding the prevalence,
nature and impacts of workplace
sexual harassment as well as
the effectiveness of workplace
initiatives designed to address it.
To support the new framework, the
Commission recommends:
• the Australian Institute of
Company Directors and the
Governance Institute of Australia
develop education and training
for board members and company
officers
• the Workplace Gender Equality
Agency work with the Workplace
Sexual Harassment Council to
consider how good practice
indicators for measuring sexual
harassment might apply under
the Workplace Gender Equality Act
2012 (Cth) (Workplace Gender
Equality Act)
• the Australian Government
amend the Workplace Gender
Equality Act to require public
sector organisations to report on
their gender equality indicators
Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces • 2020 • 35