Class action claims ADF is 'vicariously liable' for failing to protect female members
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is facing a class action suit alleging gender-based sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination against female members of the military.
Law firm JGA Saddler has launched the class action proceedings in the Federal Court on behalf of current and ex-serving ADF members.
It alleges that the ADF is "vicariously liable" for its failure to protect its female members from sexual harassment during service between November 2003 and May 2025.
"Our class action will address these long-standing issues and seek compensation owed to thousands of Australian women," the law firm said on its website.
There are four applicants in the class action, the Australian Associated Press reported. One of them is a woman from the air force who accused her sergeant of saying that "women shouldn't be paid as much as men because they are not as strong."
Another applicant claims that she received lewd comments while undergoing training, and was forcibly kissed by a colleague while on duty abroad.
According to JGA Saddler, women who also experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, or violence during their ADF service between November 2003 and May 2025 are eligible to join the class action.
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