Photo: AAP/TND
Twitter Facebook Reddit Pinterest Email
When Senator Penny Wong introduced our new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, on election night she said, “Australians had chosen change” and had chosen a “government for women”.
There was an overwhelming emotional reaction around the country: It marked the end of the Morrison government’s term in office which was characterised by a breathtaking lack of respect for women.
Among the new government’s commitments which aim to ensure the full equality for women – many of which have been incorporated in the budget – was a commitment to implement all 55 recommendations of the Respect at Work report, including the integral positive duty on the employer, which shifts the burden from the employee to the employer. It is a powerful tool that puts the onus on the employer to take steps and set up structures to prevent sexual harassment.
The Respect at Work campaign began under former PM Malcolm Turnbull in 2018 on a basis of “change” being needed in our workplaces in Australia, in the context of the #MeToo global wave.
It was designed to change employment laws and workplace rules to eradicate sexual harassment and create safe and healthy workplaces for women.
But timing is everything in politics.
That year Morrison took over the leadership. And many of us ‘on the inside’ knew – the Respect at Work journey was going to get that much harder.
There were early signs as to how the Morrison...
Nigel Farage has been condemned for falsely suggesting five men arrested on suspicion of terror offences near RAF Fairford were Iranian. The Reform UK leader suggested the incident, which saw five...
