The NT is planning to impose a positive duty on employers to eliminate discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation, while it also intends to expunge an exemption that permits religious schools to discriminate against LGBTIQ+ teachers.
A proposal by Queensland's Palaszczuk Labor Government to remove gendered language from parental leave entitlements is the beginning of the end of "women" as a protected class at law and risks making mothers invisible, according to submissions on its IR Bill.
Victoria's Andrews Labor Government has today announced it is implementing recommendations from its workplace sexual harassment taskforce, including restricting the use of non-disclosure agreements.
The Albanese Government has the opportunity to take "bold and decisive action" to make workplaces safe and harassment-free, according to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC.
The religious discrimination bills now look unlikely to pass before the expected May election, after the Senate delayed debate until Parliament resumes next month.
Two high-profile advocates for survivors of sexual assault and abuse, Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame, have called for imposition of a positive duty on employers to prevent s-x discrimination, s-xual harassment and victimisation, ahead of the Government late this afternoon introducing legislation to implement two recommendations of the Jenkins report into parliamentary workplaces.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese today led apologies for the "unacceptable history" of workplace bullying, s-xual harassment and s-xual assault in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces.
Government senators on the inquiry into the religious discrimination bills have recommended it pass with minor amendments, and say it should be the role of future governments to "monitor the impacts" of contentious provisions allowing "statements of belief" and overriding state-based protections against discrimination in employment by faith-based bodies.
Tasmania's government and NGOs - including unions - have united in opposition to the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill because of provisions that override "gold standard" State anti-discrimination legislation that protects LGBTIQ+ employees in faith-based workplaces.