LIV Addressing Sexual Harassment Portal Resources

Training resources

The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)

• Guideline: Preventing and responding to workplace sexual harassment - Complying with the Equal Opportunity Act 2010

The Commission’s updated sexual harassment guideline (published August 2020) provides six minimum standards that employers must meet to comply with their positive duty to eliminate sexual harassment.

• Preventing and responding to sexual harassment: A quick guide for employers

This shorter resource is a useful starting point for employers seeking an overview of workplace sexual harassment and their obligations.

Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)

• Effectively preventing and responding to sexual harassment: A Quick Guide

A quick guide published in 2008, to be used together with the Effectively preventing and responding to sexual harassment: A Code of Practice for Employers

WorkSafe Victoria

• Work-related gendered violence including sexual harassment

WorkSafe guide for employers dated March 2020, which includes an overview of OHS Act duties

Women’s Health Victoria

• ‘Working with Workplaces’ paper examines how employers can deliver bystander programs focused on sexual harassment in the workplace

Victorian Trades Hall Council

• What to do if someone reports experiencing gendered violence contains some practical tips for how to best support someone who reports gendered violence

Complaint forms

AHRC

• Online complaint form

VEOHRC

• Anonymous sexual harassment support and response tool
• Online complaint form

Victorian Bar Association

• Complaint and Report form

Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner (VLSB+C)

• You can call (03) 9679 8001 and ask to talk to a trained member of the Sexual Harassment Complaints Team – reports can be made confidentially; or
• Email harassmentcomplaints@lsbc.vic.gov.au

LIV Position Statements

• LIV media release ‘Legal profession has a problem with sexual harassment’ dated 24 June 2020
• LIV submission dated 11 September 2019 - Law Council of Australia's discussion paper addressing sexual harassment in the legal profession
• LIV media release ‘Call for action by legal profession on sexual harassment’ dated 9 August 2019

Relevant LIV ‘Staying Informed’ articles

• ‘Legal profession: Professional culture to blame’ article by Julian Webb, Professor of Law at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne dated 1 October 2020.
• ‘Addressing sexual harassment’ article by Fiona McLeay, Victorian Legal Services Board CEO and Commissioner dated 1 May 2019
• ‘Sexual harassment: more work to be done’ article by Sarah Rey, managing partner at Justitia Lawyers dated 1 October 2018

Template policies/clauses

AHRC

• Workplace discrimination and harassment policy template

Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC)

• Model Policy for the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace

Business Victoria

• HR Policy and Procedure Manual template

Victorian Trades Hall Council

• Model Enterprise Agreement Clause – stop sexual harassment and gender-based violence

Relevant reports

• ‘Sexual Harassment in the Victorian Legal Sector – Report of findings’ (2020) by the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner
• ‘Starts with Us’ (2019) Discussion Paper by Women’s Legal Service Victoria
• ‘Us Too? Bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession’ (2019) by the International Bar Association
• OurWatch Report (2018) Workplace Equality and Respect Standards
• ‘National Attrition and Re-engagement Study (NARS) Report’ (2013) by the Law Council of Australia