Former Workplace Gender Equality Agency director Libby Lyons has called for "radical changes" to stamp out unfairness in the Fair Work Act, ditch gendered terms and discriminatory clauses in agreements and stop stereotyping women as caregivers.
The newly-announced review of the 1973 Maternity Leave Act provides an opportunity for the Federal Government to resume its role as a pacesetter, according to Sydney University's Professor Marian Baird.
The head of Victoria's Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission has urged all employers to heed the insights gained from the agency's year-long review of the State's ambulance service, which confirmed a workplace culture of "everyday" disrespect and sexism and recommends establishing an internal 'equality and reform' team.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has recommended an independent body be established to enforce parliamentary codes of conduct after a third of staffers responding to its workplace review reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment.
The Attorney-General's Department will open a consultation process in December on six of the outstanding recommendations in Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins' landmark Respect@Work report, but the Opposition says the timeline leaves no room for legislation ahead of the federal election, expected by May.
The Morrison Government's Respect@Work legislation has now passed both houses of parliament, after the House of Representatives early this afternoon backed the legislation, as amended by the Senate yesterday.
The Morrison Government has relied on Pauline Hanson's One Nation to defeat Labor and Greens amendments to the Respect@Work legislation that would have imposed a positive duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent workplace sexual harassment.
Earnings gap highlights value of gender pay audits, says WGEA; Court orders air traffic operator to pay $70K penalty to union; and New permit for CFMMEU official despite transgression.
