Victorian Nurse Suspended for Sexually Harassing Colleagues A Victorian male nurse was suspended this week for a period of 8 months after sexually harassing female colleagues. Stephan Harris was found by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to have sexually harassed four women between 2015 and 2019 at a rural hospital. It was alleged […]
South Australian Barbershop Applies for Exemption from Equal Opportunity Act A barbershop based in Adelaide has applied for an exemption under the Equal Opportunity Act to prevent women from entering the company’s premises. According to the article, the barbershop aims to provide clients with a “male sanctuary,” claiming that it is “Adelaide’s only male only[…..]
Landmark Report from Board of Inquiry into Bruce Lehrmann Trial Leaked A leaked report from the inquiry into the trial of Bruce Lehrmann has found that the prosecution was properly brought against Mr Lehrmann. However, the report has made findings against the Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold. According to the article, sources have confirmed[…..]
Can Employers, Like NRL Clubs, Direct Players In Contradiction To Their Beliefs? This week, seven players from Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles refused to wear the pride jersey that displayed the rainbow flag. The controversy has sparked employment law questions around the extent to which an employer can direct an employee to promote, or be involved in,[…..]
Female Football Umpires Abused, Harassed, Forced To Change In Front Of Male Colleagues, Report Finds The Australian Football League (AFL) issued a formal apology to female and non-binary umpires after a report was released revealing a pattern of sexual harassment. The acting chief executive, Kylie Rogers, encourages anyone who experiences sexism or harassment to report[…..]
Respect@Work Recommendations to be Implemented in New Bill Introduced in Parliament A bill to amend the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) has been introduced into the Senate. The bill implements some of the recommendations from the Respect@Work report, and intends[…..]
Councillor, Sandy Grekas, on Gender Abuse and Harassment in Local Government Female councillors have today spoken out about how the toxic workplace culture inside federal and NSW Parliaments is replicated at a local level and is a disincentive for women to enter local government. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, female councillors face a barrage[…..]
PM Convenes First Women’s Cabinet Meeting Prime Minister Scott Morrison brought together senior colleagues this week at the first meeting of the new cabinet women’s task force. Minister for Women Marise Payne, who co-chaired the inaugural meeting in Canberra, said the group’s priority would be responding to the Respect at Work report. The report was[…..]
Workplace Lawsuit Against Two Cabinet Ministers Looms Two federal government ministers are facing legal action over the treatment of a former staff member, Rachelle Miller. The legal action is focused on the period Ms Miller worked for Alan Tudge when he was human services minister, and for Michaelia Cash when she was jobs and innovation[…..]
Legal Action Against NSW Health Related to Toxic Culture Karen Allen and John Greville have commenced legal action against NSW Health over what they claim is a ‘flawed and toxic’ work culture. The two former senior employees of NSW Health at the Mid-North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) claim they were punished for speaking up[…..]