Two business associations have released the submissions they provided to Australia’s National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces – the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Australian Industry Group (AiG). These submissions have been eagerly anticipated as these two groups are politically influential.
![](https://safetyatworkblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Cover-of-ACCI-WSH-submission-724x1024.jpg)
ACCI has based its submission on 13 “principles”:
- Employers oppose sexual harassment
- Sexual harassment is not good business
- More Australians need to be able to recognise sexual harassment
- We need to improve the attitudes Australians bring to work
- The law needs to support employers in turning values into action
- We need to recognise/reward learning and change
- Individuals must be made more accountable for their own behaviour
- Greater effectiveness does not demand more law
- Regulation needs to be smart, simple, clear and balanced to be effective
- Jurisdictional overlap / repetition detracts from effectiveness
- Businesses have differing capacities and cultures
- Sexual harassment can be challenging to manage
- This is a moving target; new sexual harassment risks are emerging
Each one of these sound positive but can be argued over. For instance “sexual harassment can be challenging to manage”. This is less of a principle than a reason, or even an excuse. Sexual harassment is complex to manage as it is not just about poor relationships, it involves a sexual element which involves power and disrespect; power that is sometimes misinterpreted as leadership or part of a manager’s entitlement.