TOPIC

In December 2022, the Federal Government actioned the key recommendation of the Australian Human Rights Commission's 2020 Respect@Work report, by legislating a positive duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and for the AHRC to be given significant new powers to enforce this duty. 

In this session, we will explore these changes and their practical implications. In particular, we will look at:

• Prevention actions and minimum steps to comply with the Respect@Work legislative changes and in light of safety obligations;
• What safety regulators are doing in response to the Respect@Work report and how a "safety lens" can be used;
• What changes may be required to take a more trauma informed approach to the management of sexual harassment reporters;
• Considerations for sexual harassment investigations, including for responding to historic allegations;
• Litigating sexual harassment matters;
• An overview of the jurisdictions;
• The appropriate use of Non-Disclosure Agreements.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Tamara Lutvey

Partner

Ashurst

Tamara is a Partner in Ashurst's Employment practice based in Brisbane.  She has more than 15 years' experience in employment, industrial relations, discrimination and occupational health and safety law. Her clients cover the public and private sectors and a broad range of industries including government, retail, mining, education, sport and power and utilities.  She regularly advises on complex strategic employment, industrial relations and safety issues, including workplace investigations, discrimination and harassment, adverse action and disciplinary matters.  She is an experienced investigator and is skilled in conducting and advising on robust and procedurally fair workplace investigations.  She also has extensive experience in conducting and managing employment-related litigation in various courts and tribunals at the State and Federal level, including before the High Court of Australia.

Abbey Kendall

Director

The Working Women's Centre (South Australia)

By trade, Abbey Kendall is an employment and industrial lawyer and is the principal solicitor of the Working Women’s Centre. Over the last decade, Abbey has worked for small and national labour law firms and unions..

Abbey is a feminist unionist and advocates for collectivist gender, sexual and political justice. Presently, Abbey is working in the movement calling for the full implementation of the 55 recommendations of the Respect@Work report

Abbey is a member of the Respect@Work Council and of the South Australian Gender Pay Gap Taskforce. Abbey is the Vice President of the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association (ALERA) national committee and the President of the ALERA SA committee. She is also a member of the SA Union’s Women’s Standing Committee, the Welfare Rights Coalition, and on the South Australian Concessions Review Reference Group. In 2019, Abbey was elected to the Policy council of the South Australian Council of Social Service

This session is complimentary for IRSQ members.

Non-members, attendance is $40.00.

Registrations close Tuesday, 22 August 2023