Preventing workplace cyberabuse: 2025 summit

In an era where digital tools are integral to our professional lives, new forms of workplace misconduct are emerging. Behaviours such as hostile messaging, surveillance, exclusion, and cyber harassment are increasingly facilitated through technology. This shift not only mirrors traditional workplace abuses but also introduces unique challenges that disproportionately affect women and gender diverse individuals.

Emerging research from the Global Institute for Women's Leadership highlights the prevalence of these issues and underscores the need for systemic change. Addressing workplace cyberabuse requires coordinated change across technology design, workplace policy, and legislation. 

Join the Global Institute for Women's Leadership for a one-day event with talks, panel discussions, and workshops to learn, discuss, and try out practical prevention solutions to workplace cyberabuse.

This event and project were funded through the eSafety Commissioner’s Preventing Tech-based Abuse of Women Grants Program – an Australian Government initiative.

Conference highlights

Join leading thinkers, policymakers, and advocates as we explore how to make the digital workplace safer, fairer, and more inclusive for all. The GIWL Preventing Workplace Cyberabuse Summit brings together cutting-edge research, real-world expertise, and forward-looking debate on one of the most urgent challenges of modern work: cyberabuse.

Across the day, you’ll:

• Hear from the leaders driving change. Gain insights from those shaping Australia’s response to tech-facilitated abuse, including Heidi Snell, Head of the Enforcement and Capability Uplift Taskforce at the eSafety Commission, and Dr Anna Cody, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, as they unpack how technology, regulation, and leadership can work together to create safer workplaces.

• Discover new research and evidence. Learn from the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s latest findings on the prevalence and impact of workplace cyberabuse – from hostile messaging to digital exclusion – and how organisations can identify risks and prevent harm before it starts.

• Explore the future of work, gender and technology. Delve into thought-provoking conversations on how artificial intelligence, algorithmic bias and online disinformation are reshaping power, visibility and safety at work, and what a more gender-responsive digital future could look like.

• Connect and collaborate. Network with researchers, policymakers, industry professionals, and advocates united by a shared goal: building respectful, inclusive, and equitable digital workplaces.

• Be part of the solution. Leave with fresh insights, practical tools, and renewed momentum to drive cultural and systemic change in your own workplace or sector.

This summit offers a unique opportunity to engage directly with the experts and evidence shaping Australia’s next frontier in workplace safety and gender equality. Whether you’re a policymaker, researcher, employer, or advocate, you’ll gain the insights and connections needed to help drive meaningful change in the digital era.

Who should attend?

This summit is designed for anyone committed to building safer, fairer, and more inclusive digital workplaces. It will be especially valuable for:

• Leaders and decision-makers in government, business, and the community sector seeking to understand and address technology-facilitated abuse.

• HR, diversity, and safety professionals looking for practical strategies to prevent and respond to workplace cyber abuse.

• Researchers, policymakers, and advocates working at the intersection of gender equality, technology, and workplace culture.

• Tech and digital professionals interested in creating safer, more ethical online environments.

• Students and emerging leaders passionate about gender equality, digital safety, and the future of work.

You can explore the full Summit program and find out more about what to expect on the Conference website here. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at gtap.giwl@anu.edu.au.