Ai Group welcomed the opportunity to provide a submission to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee regarding the Government’s Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill 2020 (the Bill).

Ai Group supports the Bill. Sexual harassment has no place in Australian workplaces and more needs to be done to address this important issue, including giving employers more support when addressing inappropriate conduct in their workplaces. The Bill:

• Amends the unfair dismissal laws in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) to make specific reference to sexual harassment;
• Expands the anti-bullying provisions in the FW Act to give the Fair Work Commission (FWC) expanded powers to deal with sexual harassment in Australian workplaces;
• Expands the compassionate leave provisions in the FW Act to include miscarriages; and
• Makes various measured amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SD Act) including creating a new definition of ‘harassment on the ground of sex’.