Sydney Jeweller Ordered to Pay Record Amount of General Damages for Sexual Harassment This week, the Federal Court ordered a record amount of general damages in a sexual harassment case in Sydney. Justice Anna Katzmann awarded Fiona Taylor $268,233.64 in damages after she was found to have been sexually harassed by Simon Grew, owner of […]
WorkSafe Fines Court Services Victoria $380,000 for ‘Toxic’ Workplace Court Services Victoria (CSV) has been fined $379,157 and convicted this week for failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace. The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard this week that from December 2015 to September 2018, employees at the Coroners Court were “at risk from exposure to[…..]
WA Statistics Related to Sexual Harassment Complaints In the 2022-23 reporting year the Commission received 31 complaints of sexual harassment in employment, 24 of those were from women. In the complaints received, women told of constant sexualised comments, supervisors trying to kiss them at work functions and receiving a sexualised Secret Santa gift from a[…..]
Independent Review Finds Sexual Harassment in Australian Antarctic Division An independent review into the workplace culture at the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has uncovered that 24% of female workers have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Further, of this 24% who experienced sexual harassment, 55% occurred in Antarctica, with 80% of incidents remaining unreported. The[…..]
Former Victorian Magistrate ‘Sexually Harassed’ Junior Solicitor A Victorian magistrate has been stood down following allegations he sexually harassed a young solicitor in December of last year. Mr Richard Pithouse resigned on 24 March this year due to concerns made about his “in-court behaviour last September.” According to the article, the former magistrate was alleged[…..]
Onus On Employers To Eliminate Sexual Misconduct The Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Bill 2022 was introduced at Federal Parliament on 27 September. The Bill will implement recommendations 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 25 and 43 of the Respect@Work report. The Bill will make employers responsible for preventing sexual harassment and[…..]
Former High Court Judge on Sexual Harassment In Law Kenneth Hayne is a former High Court judge and banking royal commissioner. He released a statement this week calling for “cultural change” in the legal profession to address the pervasive issue of sexual harassment. Mr Hayne stated his belief that the toxic culture is deterring people[…..]
Boards Central to End Sexual Harassment On 2 March 2022, Kate Jenkins spoke to the importance of boards in preventing sexual harassment in a company. Ms Jenkins is the Sex Discrimination Commissioner. She spoke at the Australian Governance Summit, noting that only 19% of Australian companies recognised the role of the board in being central[…..]
‘Shit In Me Boots’: Docks Worker Nicknamed ‘Rat Dog’ Loses Bullying Case The Victorian County Court recently ruled against a plaintiff (Melbourne dock worker) in a workplace bullying case. The plaintiff’s claim was brought in negligence and in contract. He says that in the course of his employment with the defendant (P&O Ports), and from[…..]
Guide To Addressing Spectator Racism in Sports (2021) On 17 November 2021, the Australian Human Rights Commission released its Spectator Racism Guidelines. The document was released to address racial abuse from sporting crowds. It is part of the broader effort to eliminate racism from sport and broader Australian culture. The creation of the Guidelines was[…..]