'Positive Duty', Sexual Harassment and Other Unlawful Behaviour (Online) March 2027

Ticket sales close Wednesday 3 March 2027 to allow time for training materials to be mailed to attendees.

Time/Duration: Two half-days - 9.15am–12.45pm AEDT each day

Please note: This online training will NOT be recorded.

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 the 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

9:00am - Virtual waiting room opens
9:15 am - Training commences
12:45 pm - Training concludes
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About the trainer

Tamsin Lawrence
Director
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA)

Tamsin is a highly credentialed employment lawyer with Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors (ABLA) and leads the Melbourne office. She performs a mix of litigious and advisory work in workplace relations and is a regular author and presenter on a range of bargaining, employment, discrimination and work health and safety related topics.

She applies her subject matter expertise to support clients across all aspects of the employment relationship, including employment litigation, equal opportunity and discrimination, termination of employment, enterprise bargaining strategies, industrial disputes, workplace relations policy, investigations and regulatory support.

Tamsin was highly involved in the consultations around Respect@Work legislation changes, representing employer voices and helping to shape the legislation. Her ingenuity and commitment to helping businesses saw her write ABLA's DIY Toolkit on Positive Duty obligations for businesses which was launched in 2023. 

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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 Dominique Cho on 0482 162 218 or dominique.cho@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.