SEXUAL HARASSMENT – AUSTRALIA

Nine must address ‘issues of the past’, Sneesby tells his staff

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 3 : 18-Jun-24

Nine Entertainment CEO Mike Sneesby told staff in an email on Monday that the company is working to improve its culture, but that this can only be done by "acknowledging the issues of the past". His comments come amid allegations involving two senior male managers that involve "predatory behaviour", and as Kerri-Anne Kennerley, one of Nine’s most admired on-air personalities, stated that there was an entrenched culture of bullying at the television network. Sneesby’s email was sent a week after Peter Costello quit as Nine chairman after an incident with a journalist at Canberra Airport.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC

Lidia Thorpe withdraws accusation made in parliament of sexual assault against Liberal senator

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Josh Butler, Paul Karp
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 15-Jun-23

Controversial independent senator Lidia Thorpe has used the protection of parliamentary privilege to allege that she had been sexually assaulted by Liberal senator David Van. Thorpe interjected while Van was making a speech regarding the Brittany Higgins rape case; Thorpe stated that she feels "really uncomfortable" when a ‘perpetrator’ is speaking about violence, and accused him of sexual assault and harassment. He immediately denied her allegations. Thorpe subsequently withdraw her allegations in order to comply with Senate standing orders, but indicated that she will have more to say on the matter on Thursday.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Morrison apologises to House abuse victims

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Tillett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 9-Feb-22

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has publicly apologised to victims of bullying, harassment and sexual assault in Parliament House. Morrison specifically apologised to former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, who was allegedly raped by a colleague in a ministerial office in 2019. Morrison, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Labor leader Anthony Albanese also committed to overhauling the culture of Parliament House and making it a safer place to work.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Sex discrimination commissioner finds gender inequality key driver of toxic culture in federal parliament

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Katharine Murphy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 1-Dec-21

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described the findings of a report into federal parliament’s workplace culture as "appalling and disturbing". The inquiry by sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins has revealed the extent of inappropriate conduct in commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. A survey undertaken as part of the review found that 33 per cent of respondents had personally experienced sexual harassment and 37 per cent had been bullied. Roy Morgan Research undertook the online survey on behalf of the Australian Human Rights Commission. Jenkins has made a number of recommendations, including a new code of conduct for parliamentarians and their staff. The inquiry was commissioned in response to the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office in March 2019.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION COMMISSION, ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Deloitte reveals extent of workplace complaints

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Edmund Tadros, Hannah Wootton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 22-Apr-21

Professional services firm Deloitte has disclosed that it has investigated about 15 workplace complaints annually over the last three years. The firm’s voluntary disclosure follows recent media reports which revealed that rival firm KPMG received nearly 100 workplace complaints between 2014 and March 2019, an average of about 17 per year. The majority of these complaints were allegations of bullying or sexual harassment. Workplace experts agree that the number of complaints lodged at KPMG does not reflect the true extent of the problem.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, KPMG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Call for rethink on work sex claims

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 2 : 28-Feb-19

The ACTU and the Australian Council of Social Service are among the groups that have urged changes to the Fair Work Act to allow complaints about sexual harassment in the workplace to be heard by the Fair Work Commission. The joint submission to the national inquiry into workplace sexual harassment contends that the current system is flawed and can result in complainants being victimised again when their case heard in court.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, FEDERATION OF COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRES

Labor crisis over sex scandal

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Nov-18

Luke Foley has quit as leader of the New South Wales Labor opposition over allegations he "drunkenly" placed his hands inside a female ABC reporter’s underwear after a 2016 Christmas party. He has denied the claims against him, made by Ashleigh Raper, and says he has sought legal advice in regard to launching possible defamation proceedings in the Federal Court. NSW police say they have spoken to ABC management about the claims, while Prime Minister Scott Morrison described Foley’s alleged behaviour as "very, very shocking and concerning"

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

ABC boss vows to probe Foley harassment claim

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew Clennell
The Australian – Page: 9 : 24-Oct-18

The ABC is under further scrutiny in the wake of the recent management upheaval, after acting MD David Anderson appeared before the Senate estimates committee. He said that he had only recently been made aware of allegations that New South Wales Opposition Leader Luke Foley had sexually harassed a female ABC journalist, and that no formal complaint had been lodged regarding the alleged incident. Anderson said that the public broadcaster will undertaken an investigation into the allegation, which was the subject of media reports in May. Foley has denied the allegation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Law partner forced staff to watch porn

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Sep-18

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins says the Australian Human Rights Commission survey on sexual harassment has received some shocking claims since it was launched in June. Jenkins, who was speaking to the National Press Club on 12 September, said one claim involved young female employees at a law firm being forced to watch pornography by a senior male partner. The survey has revealed that the number of women who state they have been sexually harassed has doubled in the past five years. Jenkins says that sexual harassment "continues with impunity", despite the expectation that "things were getting better".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)

Sexual harassment at work doubles: survey

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 12-Sep-18

The information, media and telecommunications industry is Australia’s worst sector when it comes to sexual harassment, according to a Australian Human Rights Commission survey. Eighty-one per cent of its employees stated they had been sexually harassed in the last five years, despite the sector accounting for just two per cent of the workforce. The number of women who state they have been sexually harassed at work has risen from 21 per cent to 39 per cent over the past six years. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins says the results of its survey reveal that sexual harassment is "widespread and pervasive".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION