Leaders have a responsibility to ensure harassment is not happening under their noses, former Australian Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs says.
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Ms Triggs will call for a re-write of workplace sexual harassment rules at a summit in Melbourne on Thursday.
"It's no longer a trending hashtag or a story from the void - it's the lived experience of a third of our workforce in Australia, and calls into question the very fabric of our human rights systems," she is expected to tell the gathering of business leaders.
Ms Triggs says the position of women in Australia has regressed dramatically in the last six or eight years, creating a "profoundly unequal and unfair environment for women, exacerbated of course by high levels of sexual harassment in the workplace".
She says sexual harassment reports are increasing across all industries from both men and women and "the issue is everybody's business".
"Let's implement systemic change, treat each case according to the facts, uphold transparent processes and ensure resolutions to complaints also address deeper cultural components such as employer training, education policies and improved reporting mechanisms," she said.
"Together, we can translate discussion into change at the office on Monday morning, and eliminate the risks and occurrence of sexual harassment in the workplace."
The Not In My Workplace summit aims to equip business leaders with tools to tackle harassment, and includes addresses from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp, Victorian women's minister Gabrielle Williams, and Victoria Police assistant commissioner Luke Cornelius.
Australian Associated Press
