A Perth woman who says she endured months of workplace bullying while she tried to seek help through official channels has welcomed new WA laws that can "order" a person to stop bullying or sexual harassment — or face thousands of dollars in fines.
"I went from being incredibly confident to someone who, essentially by the time I was off work, I was suicidal," said Sophie Anderson, who is using a pseudonym because she signed a non-disclosure agreement with her former employer.
"If [the stop orders] can be done immediately, and if there are penalties — actual real financial implications — I think that's a great outcome."
Under the new laws, which were expected to come into effect in early 2022, a person who was being bullied or sexually harassed could apply to the Western Australian Workplace Relations Commission (WAIRC) for a "stop" order. An exact date has not been set for the change to occur.
The WAIRC must start dealing with the application within two weeks, with the Fair Work Commission firstly collecting information about the complaint and then attempting reconciliation.
If that was unsuccessful, the commission would decide whether to issue an order for the person at the centre of the complaint to stop the behaviour.
Individuals who did not comply with an order could be fined up to $13,000, while employers could be fined up to $65,000. The orders would not result in compensation for the complainant.
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