The Respect@Work report provided a set of recommendations for preventing and addressing sexual harassment.
The report highlighted the roles the federal government, the states and territories, employers and industry groups all have in supporting cultural change and creating safe workplaces.
In response, the federal government agreed to — in full, in principle or in part — or noted all 55 recommendations in the report.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said we all have a role to play in stopping sexual harassment and creating safe workplaces, and the government’s response to the Respect@Work report is about creating a new culture of respectful behaviour in Australian workplaces.
“It is not only immoral and despicable and even criminal, it denies Australians, especially women, their personal security and their economic security by not being safe at work,” Mr Morrison said.
“Our response is based the government’s values of respect, dignity, choice, equality of opportunity and justice.
“This is a culture that we all have to change for the better across our society, by changing our behaviour.”
Acting CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jenny Lambert said today’s announcement on the Respect@Work report is a considered response to an extraordinarily challenging issue, calling it “an important step towards relegating sexual harassment in the workplace to history”.
“The government has rightly prioritised stopping sexual harassment at its source, targeting education and primary prevention of sexual harassment,” Ms Lambert said.
“The Respect@Work report revealed some concerning preconceived attitudes can develop at a young age, which are then brought into the workplace and create problems for both employers and employees. Focusing on attitudes before people enter the workforce will make a real impact in the long term.
“It’s positive that government has recognised the current duplication in sexual harassment laws and, where employer duties in relation to sexual harassment already exist, emphasised the importance of not making the system more complex.”
