#Power2Prevent: Urgent Actions Needed to Stop Sexual Harassment at Work

Joint statement

We are a group of diverse organisations, unions, researchers, peak bodies, health professionals and lawyers who have come together to say we need to do more to stop sexual harassment in workplaces. Our organisations and research efforts see the effects of sexual harassment on people around Australia every day and how our systems are not working to respond to the issues.

Everyone deserves to be safe at work and in their community. Yet the rates of sexual harassment in Australia are alarming, particularly for women, with 85% having experienced it in their lifetime. Sexual harassment is about more than just individual behaviour. It is a problem that is deeply entrenched within our society and occurs because gender inequality is ingrained in our social and cultural norms, structures and practices.

It’s time that employers and workplaces stamp out sexual harassment. Sexual harassment causes significant harm to individuals, workplaces and society. We know what the solutions are, but we need governments and employers to implement them. We need strong action to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, and we need it now. We call on State, Territory and Federal Governments across Australia to take urgent and coordinated action to implement the following solutions.

  1. Dedicated prevention efforts to address the underlying gendered drivers of sexual harassment, which should be part of a holistic strategy to prevent violence against women and promote gender equality in line with Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia.
  2. Stronger and clearer legal duties on employers to take proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment at work, and strong and effective regulators that have the full suite of regulatory tools and resources necessary to effectively tackle sexual harassment, including as a cultural, a systemic and a health and safety issue.
  3. Access to fair, effective and efficient complaints processes, including a new right of action under the Fair Work Act, extended time limits, increased transparency of conciliation outcomes where appropriate, and other amendments and resources necessary to address the unique barriers that currently prevent workers who experience sexual harassment from taking effective legal action.
  4. Appropriate advocacy and support for workers who experience sexual harassment, including access to information, counselling and legal services that are appropriately resourced and coordinated.
  5. Accessible reporting tools, including piloting an online reporting tool that assists people to report and address problem behaviour and seek support, and identifies trends to assist with prevention and enforcement efforts.

We stand together to call for change to create sexual harassment free workplaces.

Today the AHRC released their Respect@Work report on sexual harassment in workplaces, read it here. 

In February 2021, the above recommendations were endorsed by Women Deliver and Focus2030 in the Citizens call for a gender equal world: A roadmap for action report. This report presents the findings from a survey of 17 countries which measured the public’s support for gender equality, highlights the actions individuals expect their governments and decision-makers to take to address gender inequality, and explains the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report also provided data breakdown by country including Australia.


List of Signatories (as at October 2019):

  1. Alice Springs Women’s Shelter
  2. Annie North Inc
  3. Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union – Victoria Branch
  4. Australian Council for International Development
  5. Australian Council of Social Service
  6. Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
  7. Australian Discrimination Law Experts Group, Academic forum
  8. Australian Education Union – Victoria
  9. Australian Lawyers’ Alliance
  10. Australian Manufacturing Worker’s Union Victorian Branch
  11. Australian Services Union Victorian and Tasmanian Authorities & Services Branch
  12. Australian Women Against Violence Alliance
  13. Basic Rights Queensland
  14. Centres Against Sexual Assault Forum
  15. CFMEU Construction and General Division Victoria and Tasmanian Branch
  16. Community and Public Sector Union – PSU Group
  17. Community Broadcasting Association of Australia
  18. Community Legal Centres’ NSW
  19. Disability Discrimination Legal Service
  20. Djirra
  21. Domestic Violence NSW
  22. Domestic Violence Victoria
  23. Dr Alysia Blackham, Academic
  24. Dr Belinda Smith, Associate Professor of Sydney Law School, University of Sydney
  25. Dr Cristy Clark, Legal Academic
  26. Dr Dominique Allen, Legal Academic
  27. Dr Karen O’Connell, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, UTS
  28. Dr Paula McDonald, Legal Academic
  29. Dr Sara Charlesworth, Legal Academic
  30. Drummond Street Services
  31. Emeritus Professor Margaret Thornton of Australian National University College of Law
  32. Emma Coetsee, Human Rights Consultant
  33. Equality Rights Alliance
  34. Fair Agenda
  35. Federation of Community Legal Centres
  36. Finance Sector Union of Victoria
  37. Fitted for Work
  38. Gender Equity Victoria (GEN VIC)
  39. Gippsland Sexual and Reproductive Health Alliance
  40. Gippsland Women’s Health
  41. Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand
  42. Gordon Legal
  43. Health and Community Services Union
  44. Human Rights Law Centre
  45. Independent Education Union Victoria and Tasmania
  46. International Women’s Development Agency
  47. Job Watch
  48. Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, UTS
  49. Justice Connect
  50. Karen Willis, Executive Officer, Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia
  51. Kingsford Legal Centre
  52. Liam Elphick, Legal Academic
  53. Maritime Union of Australia
  54. Maurice Blackburn
  55. Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance
  56. Migrant Workers’ Centre
  57. Minus18
  58. National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC)
  59. National Working Women’s Centres
  60. Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission
  61. Not in My Workplace
  62. NOW Australia
  63. NT Working Women’s Centre
  64. Professor Beth Gaze, Academic
  65. Public Health Association of Australia
  66. Public Interest Advocacy Centre
  67. Rail Bus and Tram Union
  68. Redfern Legal Centre
  69. RMIT Centre for People, Organisation & Work (CPOW)
  70. Ruby Gaea Darwin Centre Against Sexual Violence
  71. Sexual Assault Support Service Inc
  72. Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) National
  73. Slater & Gordon Lawyers
  74. St Kilda Legal Service
  75. Switchboard Victoria
  76. Thorne Harbour Health
  77. Unions NSW
  78. United Voice
  79. University of Melbourne Students Union
  80. Victoria Legal Aid
  81. Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
  82. Victorian Council of Social Service
  83. Victorian Multicultural Commission
  84. Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC)
  85. Victorian Women’s Lawyers
  86. Victorian Women’s Trust
  87. Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service Inc.
  88. WestJustice
  89. Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE)
  90. Women with Disabilities Victoria
  91. Women’s Electoral Lobby
  92. Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West
  93. Women’s Health Goulburn North East
  94. Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE)
  95. Women’s Health NSW
  96. Women’s Health Victoria
  97. Women’s Health West
  98. Women’s Information and Referral Exchange Inc
  99. Women’s Legal Centre ACT
  100. Women’s Legal Service NSW
  101. Women’s Legal Service Victoria
  102. Women’s Legal Services Australia
  103. Women’s Property Initiatives
  104. Working Women Queensland
  105. Working Women’s Centre South Australia Inc
  106. Young Workers’ Centre
  107. Youth Affairs Council Victoria
  108. YWCA Australia

VWT's submission

We also wrote a separate submission to the AHRC Inquiry. Click on the button below to learn more.

learn more