• legal and regulatory approaches
adopted in other jurisdictions
• available data from relevant
regulatory agencies
• other sources of domestic and
international data.
In particular, as part of the Inquiry, the
Commission requested relevant data on
enquiries and complaints received by
the Commission and state and territory
anti-discrimination agencies relating to
workplace sexual harassment for the past
three financial years (see Appendix 5).
(iii) Economic modelling
Under its Terms of Reference, the
Commission was asked to consider the
economic impact of workplace sexual
harassment drawing on economic
modelling. Deloitte Access Economics was
engaged by the Australian Government
Department of the Treasury to conduct
this work to inform the Inquiry and its final
report is in Appendix 7.
1.5 Terminology used in the
report
A glossary and list of common acronyms
and abbreviations used in the report
appears in Appendix 1. It is useful to
discuss at the outset some of the language
the Commission has used in this report
in connection with workplace sexual
harassment and affected individuals and
communities.
Victims
This report captures people’s experiences
of workplace sexual harassment that the
Commission heard about in the course of
the Inquiry. Some people when describing
their experiences prefer to use the
term ‘victim’ and others prefer the term
‘survivor.’ The Commission recognises that
some people consider ‘victim’ problematic
because it may suggest that people who
have experienced workplace sexual
harassment are helpless or lack agency.
This is not the position of the Commission.
Similarly, other people prefer the
resilience and empowerment associated
with the term ‘survivor’. In this report,
the Commission generally uses the term
‘victim’, since this is most commonly used
in the community, and intends this to be
inclusive of victims and survivors.
The report also sometimes uses terms
such as ‘complainant’, ‘applicant’ and
‘alleged victim’, in the context of formal
reporting, complaints and other legal or
administrative processes or proceedings.
Harassers
When describing what the Commission
heard about people’s experiences of
sexual harassment, this report uses the
term ‘harasser’ to describe a person who
has had an allegation made against them,
as well as a person who has been found
or proven to have engaged in workplace
sexual harassment through a formal
process.
Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces • 2020 • 59