Ticket sales close Wednesday 11 February to allow time for training materials to be mailed to attendees.

Time/Duration: Two half-days - 9.00am–12.30pm AEDT each day

Key learning outcomes

Understand the law in relation to workplace sexual harassment and the new type of harassment: sex-based harassment
Learn the type of conduct that might constitute sexual harassment, as well as new risks related to the conduct of employees outside of the traditional workplace
Understand he potential legal impacts of sexual harassment claims
Discover how to create a harassment free workplace – best practice guidance on steps your organisation can take to effectively prevent and mitigate the risk of sexual harassment in the workplace
How to respond to reports of sexual harassment in the workplace and how to go about addressing inappropriate workplace behaviour
Understand the latest changes to the Queensland Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) (WHS Regulations) which require all businesses who engage workers in Queensland to have a written.

Course Overview

In response to the continual rise of sexual harassment as a "hot topic" issue in Australian workplaces in late 2022 the Federal Government changed the law to impose a new 'positive duty' on all employers. This positive duty requires all employers to take proactive steps to eliminate sexual harassment from occurring in the workplace - simply responding to sexual harassment complaints when they arise is no longer enough.

This means all employers, no matter how big or small, need to take a far more proactive approach to eliminate sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace before it occurs or risk of being held legally responsible for any acts of sexual harassment in the workplace.

In light of these changes, employers should be moving away from a reactive model of dealing with harassment issues towards a far more preventative approach to all forms of discrimination, harassment and victimisation in the workplace.

This course covers the extensive changes employers need to be aware of, providing you with the knowledge to implement key changes and make the process as smooth as possible. A failure to understand and manage this new legislation could result in significant liability for employers.

To assist those who employ workers in Queensland, the course briefly looks at the latest changes to the State's Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) (WHS Regulations) which requires all businesses who engage workers in Queensland to have a written ‘Prevention Plan’ to manage the risk of sexual harassment and sex or gender-based harassment.

This course also outlines how certain behaviours can constitute sexual harassment and may be against the law, and addresses how to develop and implement legally compliant and effective employee behaviour policies and procedures to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in the workplace.

Register now to upskill and get ahead.

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Schedule each day

8:45am - Virtual waiting room opens
9:00 am - Training commences
12:30 pm - Training concludes
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About the trainer

Rebecca Spiliopoulos
Associate
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA)

Rebecca is based in ABLA's Melbourne office.

She has a passion for advocacy and crafting practical and effective solutions tailored to her clients’ needs. She advises employers on a broad range of workplace relations and employment related issues.

She was instrumental in the production of ABLA's Workplace Sexual Harassment Positive Duty How-to-Guide. The popular toolkit assists businesses on their way to compliance with the new positive duty to eliminate sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sex-based harassment, hostile workplace environments and victimisation in the workplace. Rebecca has also been involved in sexual harassment disputes in the Australian Human Rights Commission and VCAT.

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FAQs

What is included in the price?

Course training booklet will be sent via post. Please provide the address when booking, and please provide your home address if working from home and would like it sent there. No soft copies of the materials will be provided. Note that cost is per person.

Who can attend?

This course is open to all organisations excluding other legal service providers and consultants.

Suited for: Senior HR executives, HR Managers, Business Owners, People and Culture Managers, Directors, HR Business partners and anyone responsible for managing employees.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Contact Fiona Kenny on 0482 162 218 or fiona.kenny@ablawyers.com.au.

What's the refund policy?

Participants will receive a full refund if they cancel at least seven (7) business days prior to the scheduled event. However, if participants cancel less than seven (7) business days before the event, no refund will be made. The place can be transferred to another member of the paid organisation. No-shows or cancellations after 7 days will receive the course training material and supporting documents. If there are insufficient participants, we reserve the right to cancel the event and participants will be transferred to another module of equal value or receive a full refund at their election. We will give three business days’ notice of any such cancellation.

Privacy policy

To understand how we protect your privacy, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

This session is conducted subject to everyone agreeing to the Chatham House Rules which means that participants can use the information in practice in their business but should not identify any organisation, individual or information that can be used to identify any organisation, individual or information that can be used to identify them.

'Positive Duty', Sexual Harassment and other Unlawful Behaviour Feb 2026

Choose your tickets

'Positive duty' under the Sex Discrimination Act ticket