Proactive compliance and enforcement strategies to be launched in September
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) will launch compliance and enforcement strategies targeting two Australian industries, citing heightened risks of work-related sexual harassment.
In a statement, the AHRC said it will proactively focus on retail trade and accommodation and food services in the 2025–26 financial year.
"These industries employ large numbers of workers who face significant risks of work-related sexual harassment," the AHRC said in a statement.
"We will launch proactive compliance and enforcement strategies in September 2025."
The move comes after the AHRC found serious unlawful conduct in both industries during formal inquiries in the 2024–25 financial year. The inquiries also covered the finance, and the transport, postal, and warehousing industries.
"Evidence indicates some workers have been exposed to serious unlawful conduct," the AHRC said.
"We have gathered information from a variety of sources to trigger our compliance powers, including information from workers, other regulators, and media reports."
Meanwhile, the AHRC said it is also updating its online learning resources about the positive duty to explain sex discrimination, victimisation, and other harmful behaviours that organisations need to prevent and respond to.
The positive duty mandates organisations to take reasonable steps to eliminate sexual harassment, sexist behaviour, sex discrimination, and victimisation connected to work, according to the AHRC.
A new compliance survey is underway for medium and large retailers to check how well they have been meeting the positive duty guidelines.
"It will help us understand what challenges retailers face, what they need to know, and what resources would help them comply with the law," the AHRC said.
"We will consult with industry and worker organisations before we finalise the survey. This approach is planned to roll out across other industries, with Accommodation and Food Services the next industry to be surveyed."
The AHRC also announced that it will host its second National Regulator Roundtable in September 2025.
The event will gather staff from federal, state, and territory regulators who work on workplace conduct issues, including people from anti-discrimination commissions, equality bodies, the fair work jurisdiction, and workplace health and safety agencies.
"The two-day event will focus on measuring and reporting on regulatory effectiveness and impact," the commission said.
