Queensland has taken a step in the right direction towards cultivating safe workplaces through an amendment to WHS law. The amendment outlines requirements for employers to proactively prevent sexual and/or gender based harassment.
From 1 September 2024
The risk of sexual or gender-based harassment must be proactively eliminated or minimised by employers. This means active prevention, rather than relying on workers to report harassment after harm has already occurred.
From 1 March 2025
Employers must use a prevention plan to manage identified risks of sexual or gender-based harassment. This involves considering work design and worker characteristics.
What it means for healthcare
Workplace characteristics that can affect the prevalence of sexual harassment in healthcare include the lack of women represented in some specialties (surgeons, ophthalmologists, physicians etc.) and the isolation involved in rural and remote work. Risks such as these must now be mitigated in QLD through regularly reviewed prevention plans.
