Survey results show significant gaps in leaders’ awareness of their responsibilities when it comes to workplace sexual harrassment. 76% of leaders aware that workplace sexual harassment is illegal and only 40% aware of their new legal obligations to prevent it. This factsheet highlights the work still needed to help workplaces and leaders protect employees.

A survey of 1,500 Australians looked at workplace understanding around sexual assault, finding significant differences in how the issue is viewed by leaders and employees, as well as by men and women. The survey also highlights a significant gap in awareness of current legal obligations to employees in light of the positive duty regulations introduced in  2022 which shifted the legal onus on employers to prevent workplace sexual harassment.

Key findings

• More than 40% of women and 26% men have experienced workplace sexual harassment in the past five years.
• Workplace sexual harrassment costs the Australian economy more than $3.8 billion a year.
• Only 40% of employers were aware of their legal responsibility to prevent sexual harrassment in the workplace.
• Among employees, men rated their workplaces significantly more positively than women in terms of the approach to preventing workplace sexual harassment.
• Women were consistently more likely than men to see violence against women, gender inequality and disrespect based on gender as significant issues.
• Only 48% of women were very confident that if a colleague were sexually harassed at their workplace they’d feel safe to report it.