Last week, some of the Nine newspapers reported on a spate of departures (paywalled) from the Australian Prime Minister’s office. There is always a constant churn of political staffers, with regular movement between private enterprise and public service. There are some sound economic reasons for leaving just after 12 months into a new government, and …
The New South Wales (Labor) government has amended its work health and safety and industrial relations laws. These changes have been described as “substantial” in one legal opinion, but the changes reflect the management of company liability more than preventing harm....
CCTV cameras on a cash register may deter theft due to the fear of consequences, such as discipline or dismissal, but they also communicate a lack of trust. If the aim is to prevent physical actions like theft, they work. But can they prevent occupational health and safety (OHS) breaches like sexual abuse in childcare …
Many people in Australia are asking why any woman would consider a career in the military, given the considerable risk of sexual harassment, abuse and assaults. Occupational health and safety (OHS) and risk management disciplines often draw on many of the risk assessment processes and principles from the defence forces; however, there appear to be …
In November 2022, then-Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins explained why sexual harassment in Australian workplaces continues to happen. Basically, she said this was because the sex discrimination laws were reactive to a worker complaint and placed no duty on employers to prevent these types of incidents. But there is more to it than that, and …
The community in Melbourne, Australia, has been talking about little else but a sex abuse scandal in the childcare industry. (It makes a difference from talking about beef wellingtons.) The media and the government are announcing and investigating various regulatory and enforcement options to prevent a recurrence. This abuse is a grave concern and not …
I was lunching at my local market when someone at the same table began chatting with me. The conversation turned to occupational health and safety (OHS). It was refreshing to discuss this with a non-OHS professional and see their surprised reactions to some of the things employers are required to do to create safe and …
