This International Women’s Day (8 March), Australia’s
leading workplace health and safety body has released a new
position calling on business leaders and employers to treat
sexual harassment as a preventable workplace health and
safety risk, not handled solely as an HR or behavioural
matter.
The Australian Institute of Health &
Safety (AIHS) Position: Managing Work-Related Sexual
Harassment Risk recognises that strong laws already exist,
including ‘The Positive Duty’ under the Sex
Discrimination Act and existing WHS obligations. The
priority now is consistent implementation nationwide –
embedding prevention into everyday WHS systems and ensuring
sexual harassment is managed with the same rigour and
accountability as any other workplace hazard.
Latest
data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals
women are significantly more likely to experience sexual
violence than men, with 318,000 women reporting work-related
sexual violence since the age of 15.
AIHS Chair Celia
Antonovsky said International Women’s Day is a timely
reminder that safe and respectful workplaces are fundamental
to equality.
“Every worker has the right to feel
safe, respected and supported at work. Preventing sexual
harassment is essential to protecting women’s wellbeing,
confidence and participation in the workforce,” Ms
Antonovsky said.
Ms Antonovsky said sexual harassment
must also be considered within the broader context of
workplace risks that disproportionately impact
women.
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“Other under-addressed workplace health and
safety issues, including menopause, psychosocial hazards and
pregnancy-related risks, require stronger WHS systems and
organisational commitment,” Antonovsky said.
The
2025 AIHS Member Survey found only 60 per cent of WHS
professionals believe workers feel safe to report incidents.
ABS data also shows just 7.2 per cent of women who
experienced physical assault by a male in the past 10 years
sought advice or support from a colleague or
manager.
“These figures remind us that persistent
barriers to reporting still exist and that deeper cultural
challenges remain within workplaces. Too many workers do not
feel safe or supported to speak up, and sexual harassment
continues to be under-recognised as a serious workplace
health and safety risk,” Ms Antonovsky
said.
“Sexual harassment cannot be handled behind
closed doors or treated as a standalone HR matter. It is a
workplace hazard that can cause serious psychological,
physical, social and economic harm, and it must be
systematically prevented.”
Ms Antonovsky said that
there is an urgent need for action, organisations can’t
rely on policies – they need to make prevention part of
everyday WHS systems, leadership decisions, workplace
culture and HR collaboration to protect all
workers.
“This International Women’s Day, and
every day, all Australian businesses have a responsibility
to take proactive steps to systematically build workplaces
grounded in safety and respect,” Ms Antonovsky
said.
“Sexual harassment is still far too common,
and women continue to be disproportionately affected, but it
can be prevented. Every worker, has the right to go to work
and come home safe at the end of the
day.”
