Industry unions and organisations have welcomed new steps to eliminate sexual harassment in retail.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has issued its support for the Albanese Government's Respect@Work Bill, introduced into parliament yesterday by the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.
The Bill seeks to amend the Sex Discrimination Act to deliver on key recommendations called for in the Respect@Work report.
The key change is to introduce a positive duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment at work.
The ACTU said the recommendation is critical in driving positive change at work, instead of relying solely on victims to raise complaints.
Only 17 per cent of those sexually harassed at work feel safe reporting it.
The duty will also cover requiring employers to prevent harassment by third parties such as customers or clients of workers.
Customers are the top source of harassment to retail staff, according to a survey conducted by the SDA and Human Rights Commission.
The ACTU has called on the Opposition, Greens, and crossbench to support the Bill.
The Albanese Government has also committed to further legislative changes to the Fair Work Act to deliver all Respect@Work recommendations.
ACTU President Michele O’Neil welcomed the latest steps in addressing harassment in the retail sector.
“This is such an important and long overdue legislative change as sexual harassment at work is rife in Australia with women having a 2 in 3 chance of experiencing it in a current or former workplace.
“Employers having an obligation to prevent sexual harassment is essential to making workplaces safe for everyone.
“For workers in the retail and fast-food industry, many of them teenagers, customers are the biggest perpetrators of sexual harassment. It's welcome to see the Albanese Government taking steps to hold employers accountable for also preventing this type of harassment.
“We will not have gender equality while women are having to leave jobs because they feel unsafe.
“The Morrison Government failed to act, and it’s now up to the members of this parliament to use their vote, stand up for women and say enough is enough.”
National Retailers Association interim CEO Lindsay Carroll also supported the new measures but pushed for greater education.
“Under no circumstance should retail workers be on the receiving end of sexual harassment. Retail is a high-risk sector for occupational violence, including sexual harassment, and it is an issue we take very seriously.
“But for the recommendations to work, the Government needs to follow through with educating employers on new or changed employer duties relating to their obligation to eliminate sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, in the workplace.
“Where employers will be given a positive duty to to take ‘reasonable and proportionate measures’ to eliminate sexual harassment, then businesses need to be engaged as part of the process, in particular small businesses that do not have access to trained human resources personnel.
“Sexual harassment at work can be prevented from happening in the first place. As retail is one of the largest employers of young people and women, we have a responsibility to ensure all staff are safe at work.”