Last month’s dramatic events in Australia’s parliament have highlighted the central issue of gender inequality, sexual harassment and sexual assault. About 4,000 women linked arms around parliament to tell the government “we’ve had enough” with the treatment of women.
This follows Brittany Higgin’s sexual assault allegation in a minister’s office in 2019 and an allegation Attorney-General Christian Porter sexually assaulted a 16-year-old in 1988 (which he denies). The protests also come amid multiple claims of a toxic work culture at Parliament House.
The New South Wales police have closed their investigation into the matter, but important questions remain over whether an independent inquiry is needed.
In Australia, female casual employees who are sexually assaulted are entitled to five days of unpaid leave. Meaning, a woman beginning to recover from an attack would spend more than $700 a week on minimum wage.
After the federal government’s lackluster response to Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins landmark Respect @Work report, she says that the federal government is at risk of missing an opportunity to overhaul key laws after it said it wouldn’t fully adopt all the legislative changes.
Of Ms Jenkins 15 recommended legislative changes, the government has agreed to just seven of the reforms in full, stopping short of key changes to the Sex Discrimination Act where the government has the power to act. This puts a heavy burden on victims to one where employers must proactively stamp out sexual harassment and create safe workplaces.
University of Sydney workplace culture expert Catharine Lumby said Ms Jenkins wouldn’t have recommended the change if the existing regime was working.
Lumby said the existing laws are not working because “we know that the rates of sexual harassment and even sexual assault in the workplace are outrageous.”
