National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces - Submissions to the National Inquiry
Sex Discrimination
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Submissions to the National Inquiry
The submission process is now closed.
The National Inquiry was open for submissions between July 2018 and February 2019. The Australian Human Rights Commission asked individuals and organisations for their views, experiences and suggestions for change as part of the National Inquiry into sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. For further information about the submissions process, please read FAQs below.
How will my submission be used?
Submissions to this Inquiry will be treated as confidential unless you ask that your submission be made public. We will not publish confidential submissions on our website. We may use material from confidential submissions, such as quotes, case studies or other references in the report produced as a result of the Inquiry. If we do this, we will remove any personal information so that you or other people referred to in your submission cannot be identified.
We will not release confidential submissions to anyone without your consent unless required by law. In the case of a request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) there are likely to be relevant exemptions to production (including for material obtained in confidence and personal information). The Commission would consult with you about any FOI request before any decision was made about releasing information.
If you wish to have your submission published on the Commission’s website, please note that the Commission may decide not to publish personal information identified in submissions, and may redact parts of submissions prior to publication. As such, please use pseudonyms, not real names, in their submission.
Information collected through submissions (both public and confidential submissions) will be used for the purposes of the Inquiry and may be drawn upon, quoted or referred to in the Inquiry report. If information provided is included in the Inquiry report, it will be published under a Creative Commons licence and the contents of the report will be able to be used freely for other purposes. Submissions may also be used to inform future work by the Commission and the Sex Discrimination Commissioner in relation to sexual harassment.
Submissions received
Public submissions to the National Inquiry received in February 2019 or later will be progressively published on the website in the coming months.
Please subscribe to the National Inquiry to receive updates, including about publication of public submissions.
Please note: in accordance with the terms of the submissions process, we have:
- not listed below or published any confidential submissions; and
- in some cases, redacted, edited or not published (where an edited copy could not reasonably be published) the non-confidential submissions, in order to protect the identity of the authors and/or third parties or where otherwise appropriate.
The Commission notes that the submissions listed may contain errors. The submissions do not represent the views of the Commission.
If you would like a copy of a published submission in a different format, please contact the National Inquiry Team at SH.Inquiry@humanrights.gov.au or on (02) 9284 9750.
Submission 14 - Individual.pdf
Submission 17.1 - Dr S Moston and Dr T Engelberg.pdf
Submission 17.2 - Dr S Moston and Dr T Engelberg.pdf
Submission 20 - Individual.pdf
Submission 27 - Individual.pdf
Submission 31 - Individual.pdf
Submission 32 - Individual.pdf
Submission 34 - Individual.pdf
Submission 38 - Individual.pdf
Submission 40 - Individual.pdf
Submission 47 - Individual.pdf
Submission 50 - Individual.pdf
Submission 53 - Individual.pdf
Submission 54 - Individual.pdf
Submission 56 - Individual.pdf
Submission 58 - Individual.pdf
Submission 59 - Individual.pdf
Submission 60 - Individual.pdf
Submission 63 - Individual.pdf
Submission 65 - Individual.pdf
Submission 86 - Individual.pdf
Submission 92 - Individual.pdf
Submission 94 - Individual.pdf
Submission 107 - Individual.pdf
Submission 108 - Dr A Mackay.pdf
Submission 116 - Individual.pdf
Submission 122 - Individual.pdf
Submission 125 - Individual.pdf
Submission 126 - Individual.pdf
Submission 136 - Individual.pdf
Submission 137 - Individual.pdf
Submission 141 - Individual.pdf
Submission 145 - Individual.pdf
Submission 147 - VicHealth.pdf
Submission 149 - Individual.pdf
Submission 156 - Individual.pdf
Submission 160 - Individual.pdf
Submission 169 - YWCA Canberra.pdf
Submission 170 - Prof P McDonald and Prof S Charlesworth.pdf
Submission 171 - Alice Springs Town Council.pdf
Submission 182 - Individual.pdf
Submission 188 - Prof J Bessant.pdf
Submission 202 - WilliamsonBarwick Lawyers.pdf
Submission 204 - WorkSafe Western Australia.pdf
Submission 205 - Australian Medical Association.pdf
Submission 220 - South Australia Police.pdf
Submission 221 - Women's Health in the South East (WHISE).pdf
Submission 234 - Workplace Safety Services.pdf
Submission 239 - Screen Australia.pdf
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FAQs – Submissions to the National Inquiry into sexual harassment in Australian workplaces
- Can I make a submission?
Submissions are now closed.
The inquiry was open for submissions between July 2018 and February 2019.
The project team has now commenced the analysis and writing phase of the inquiry.
- What information were you hoping to receive through submissions?
The Commission called for submissions which addressed at least one of the Terms of Reference for the Inquiry as set out on the Inquiry webpage.
In responding to the Terms of Reference, the Commission was very keen on hearing from organisations and from individuals, including employees, employers and members of the public, about experiences within Australian workplaces and suggestions for change.
- Will my submission be made public?
Submissions to this Inquiry will be treated as confidential unless you ask that your submission be made public. We will not publish confidential submissions on our website. We may use material from confidential submissions, such as quotes, case studies or other references in the report produced as a result of the Inquiry. If we do this, we will remove any personal information so that you or other people referred to in your submission cannot be identified.
We will not release confidential submissions to anyone without your consent unless required by law. Documents held by the Commission may be subject to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) (FOI Act). In the case of a request under the FOI Act there are likely to be relevant exemptions to production (including for material obtained in confidence and personal information). We would consult you about any FOI request before any decision was made about releasing information.
If you wish to have your submission published on the Commission’s website, you must select the relevant option on the online form. Publication by the Commission is at the discretion of the Commission. We may decide not to publish submissions or to redact information in submissions, such as personal information, prior to publication. As such, please use pseudonyms, not real names, in your submission.
- How will my submission be used?
Information collected through submissions (both public and confidential submissions) will be used for the purposes of the Commission’s Inquiry into sexual harassment in Australian workplaces and may be drawn upon, quoted or referred to in the Inquiry report. As noted above, if material from confidential submissions is used in this way, it will be de-identified. If information provided is included in the Inquiry report, it will be published under a Creative Commons licence and the contents of the report will be able to be used freely for other purposes. Submissions may also be used to inform future work by the Commission and the Sex Discrimination Commissioner in relation to sexual harassment.
- What if my current/former employer has not issued a limited waiver of confidentiality obligations in non-disclosure agreements or other agreements for the purpose of allowing people to make a confidential submission to the National Inquiry into sexual harassment in Australian workplaces?
Following a request to employers from the former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, the Commission has published on its website a list of organisations that have issued a limited waiver of confidentiality obligations in non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or other agreements for the purpose of allowing people to make a confidential submission to the National Inquiry into Workplace Sexual Harassment.
The Commission is not able to provide legal advice to people interested in making a submission. This includes advice about a person’s contractual obligations to a third party, such as confidentiality obligations under a settlement agreement.
If you believe your submission to the National Inquiry will compromise your contractual obligations or have other legal implications, we encourage you to seek legal advice prior to making a submission.
- Could organisations or groups make a submission?
Yes, the Commission was happy to hear from anyone who would like to share their views on these issues.
- Can I obtain a copy of my submission after I have submitted it?
Yes, a copy of your submission would have been emailed to the email address provided.
If you do not wish to provide your email address or do not receive a copy of your submission, please contact the National Inquiry Project Team at SH.Inquiry@humanrights.gov.au or on (02) 9284 9750.
- Why did you need my personal information?
Parts A, B and C of the submissions form asked for details such as your name, address, email address and telephone number in case we need to contact you about your submission. It also asked for some basic demographic information that will help inform the work of the Inquiry. While we may include aggregated demographic data in the Inquiry report this will not identify any individual person. For submissions published on our website, we will typically include the name of the person making the submission but we will not include on the website the other personal information or the demographic information requested.
Circumstances in which we would contact you regarding your submission include:
- to provide you with information about support services available to you
- to clarify information contained in the submission, and
- to notify you of the publication of our report.
- Where can I find more information on submissions to the Australian Human Rights Commission?
The Australian Human Rights Commission has a policy that provides further information on the use, publication and access to submissions. Access the Submission Policy.
The Commission also has a policy that provides further information on privacy, including the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information. Access the Privacy Policy.
- Can I make a submission?