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Sex Discrimination
National Press Club: Everyone's Business: 2018 Sexual Harassment Survey
Kate Jenkins CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land, the Ngunnawal people, and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Change takes time In my role as Sex Discrimination Commissioner, many people tell me to be patient. They tell me that change...
Sex Discrimination
Australian Universities audited one year on from the landmark Change the course report
The Australian Human Rights Commission has conducted an audit of Australian Universities , to coincide with the one year anniversary of the landmark Change the course report into sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities. The Change the course report found one in five (21%)...
Sex Discrimination
Australia's journey to a National Inquiry into workplace sexual harassment
The following opinion piece by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins appeared in Fairfax papers - SMH, the Age and The Canberra Times On 5 October 2017, I boarded a flight from Britain. By the time I landed in Melbourne, the world had changed. The New York Times story exposing decades of...
Sex Discrimination
Time for some home truths about sexual harassment
The following opinion piece by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins was published in the Age newspaper on May 3, 2018 It’s time for some home truths about how we are talking about and dealing with sexual harassment cases. We need to stop talking about so-called ‘‘hush money’’ and refocus...
Sex Discrimination
Fourth National Survey on workplace sexual harassment
The Australian Human Rights Commission has begun the fourth national survey into workplace sexual harassment. The Commission has undertaken regular surveys on workplace sexual harassment since 2002. The Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said the next iteration of the world-leading survey...
Sex Discrimination
AHRC to review residential colleges at the University of New England
The Australian Human Rights Commission will conduct an independent review of residential colleges at the University of New England (UNE) in the regional centre of Armidale, NSW. The University has seven residential colleges, currently home to approximately 1800 students. The Australian Human Rights...
Sex Discrimination
Sex Discrimination Commissioner delivers 2018 Pamela Denoon Lecture
2018 Pamela Denoon Lecture, ANU Monday 5th March 2018 Good evening. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and paying my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. I would also like to acknowledge both the organisers of this event and the...
Sex Discrimination
Appalling behaviour at university residential colleges
As students and staff around Australia return to university, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is urging Australian universities to continue the work needed to prevent sexual harassment and sexual assaults on campus. “Since the release of the landmark Change the course: National...
Sex Discrimination
Not just Hollywood problem: 1 in 4 Australian women have been sexually harassed at work
Over the past year, I have spoken with many women who have told me their personal accounts of being harassed in the workplace. I spoke to one hospital worker who was sexually harassed by a male patient, who indecently exposed himself to her. Instead of helping her, the woman's colleagues and manager...
Sex Discrimination
New data shows widespread sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities
One in five (21%) students were sexually harassed in a university setting in 2016 and 1.6% of students were sexually assaulted in a university setting on at least one occasion in 2015 or 2016, according to a landmark report on sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities released...
Sex Discrimination
57 seconds - that's all it took to undo much of the good work done by many sports codes
A lot can be said in 57 seconds. And a lot can be learnt from such a brief exchange. Last week, a laughing conversation between two AFL club presidents and three other high-profile football personalities suggested that drowning a female Fairfax journalist would be an effective way to fundraise for...
Sex Discrimination
Workplace sexism: we still don't want to talk about it
I'm not sure when the word "sexist" became one of the most polarising words in the English language. Is it really so bad to talk about something that many agree is alive and well in the Australian workforce and community? Despite laws prohibiting sex discrimination gaining wide acceptance in this...
