Latest news with #KateJenkins
The Age
03-07-2025
- The Age
We have a great law to tackle workplace sexual harassers. Pity it's never been used
Two important events concerning sexual harassment took place this week. Australian female-led hospitality advocacy group Sorry Not Sorry toured the United Kingdom, raising awareness of sexual harassment in the hospitality industry. Last year, its founders, along with other former staff for hospitality giant Swillhouse, reported being sexually assaulted at work, rostered alongside their assailants, pressured to take drugs, encouraged to have sex with customers, harassed, discriminated against, and their reports to management ignored. Just days later, this masthead published an explosive exposé about the Merivale hospitality empire, alleging that its VIP customers routinely engaged in lewd and unwelcome sexualised behaviour towards its female staff. Swillhouse and Merivale have denied any wrongdoing. In this same week, a new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission was released, highlighting the ongoing and seemingly intractable problem of sexual harassment. The problem is not confined to hospitality, but includes mining, media and the retail industries. Allegations against mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto include men urinating on women colleagues, sexual groping and masturbating in front of them. But there is one glaring omission in the AHRC report. It is silent about what it, the relevant regulator, is doing about this endemic problem. In late 2022, the Albanese government gave the AHRC significant responsibilities for preventing sexual harassment. It introduced a law which, for the first time, imposed a positive duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment and sex discrimination at work. At the time of its enactment, Kate Jenkins, the then-sex discrimination commissioner, hailed the positive duty law as 'the single most revolutionary change that will impact sexual harassment'. Loading Since December 2023, the AHRC has been able to prosecute employers for failing to comply with that positive duty. To date, there has not been a single prosecution. It would be a tragedy if the positive duty law became a 'dead letter' – a law that sits on the statute books both unloved and unused. Without either a carrot or a stick to motivate them, even the most committed – or the most problematic – employers are free to ignore the laws without consequence. A law that is on the books, but able to be routinely ignored, might as well not exist. In a time of continuing, serious allegations of sexual harassment, we need this positive duty more than ever. Yet it took an inquiry by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, not the regulator, to reveal the alleged conduct at Swillhouse. It is taking the dedicated efforts of the individual women who reported it to try to raise enough funds to take legal action against their former employer.
Sydney Morning Herald
03-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
We have a great law to tackle workplace sexual harassers. Pity it's never been used
Two important events concerning sexual harassment took place this week. Australian female-led hospitality advocacy group Sorry Not Sorry toured the United Kingdom, raising awareness of sexual harassment in the hospitality industry. Last year, its founders, along with other former staff for hospitality giant Swillhouse, reported being sexually assaulted at work, rostered alongside their assailants, pressured to take drugs, encouraged to have sex with customers, harassed, discriminated against, and their reports to management ignored. Just days later, this masthead published an explosive exposé about the Merivale hospitality empire, alleging that its VIP customers routinely engaged in lewd and unwelcome sexualised behaviour towards its female staff. Swillhouse and Merivale have denied any wrongdoing. In this same week, a new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission was released, highlighting the ongoing and seemingly intractable problem of sexual harassment. The problem is not confined to hospitality, but includes mining, media and the retail industries. Allegations against mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto include men urinating on women colleagues, sexual groping and masturbating in front of them. But there is one glaring omission in the AHRC report. It is silent about what it, the relevant regulator, is doing about this endemic problem. In late 2022, the Albanese government gave the AHRC significant responsibilities for preventing sexual harassment. It introduced a law which, for the first time, imposed a positive duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment and sex discrimination at work. At the time of its enactment, Kate Jenkins, the then-sex discrimination commissioner, hailed the positive duty law as 'the single most revolutionary change that will impact sexual harassment'. Loading Since December 2023, the AHRC has been able to prosecute employers for failing to comply with that positive duty. To date, there has not been a single prosecution. It would be a tragedy if the positive duty law became a 'dead letter' – a law that sits on the statute books both unloved and unused. Without either a carrot or a stick to motivate them, even the most committed – or the most problematic – employers are free to ignore the laws without consequence. A law that is on the books, but able to be routinely ignored, might as well not exist. In a time of continuing, serious allegations of sexual harassment, we need this positive duty more than ever. Yet it took an inquiry by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, not the regulator, to reveal the alleged conduct at Swillhouse. It is taking the dedicated efforts of the individual women who reported it to try to raise enough funds to take legal action against their former employer.
The Advertiser
24-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Penalties proposed for employers who ignore harassment
Employers who ignore requirements to end workplace sexual harassment and discrimination could face civil penalties. A landmark report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has amplified the voices of more than 300 victim-survivors. Contributors told the commission many aspects of their living and working conditions made it difficult for workplace sexual harassment to be prevented and properly addressed. This included casual work with no job security, visa restrictions, being silenced with non-disclosure agreements and not having the support to know how to report harassment. The report outlines 11 key recommendations to address this form of harassment, including law reform to limit the use of confidentiality and NDAs and increased funding for specialist support services. It also recommends introducing civil penalties for employers who breach their positive duty under the act. Workplaces needed to reduce barriers to education, safety, support, justice and accountability, the report found. It is the final recommendation of the Respect@Work report, handed down by former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins in 2020, which identified strong leadership as a key to preventing workplace sexual harassment. At the end of 2023, a "positive duty" requiring employers to take steps to eliminate work-related sexual harassment and sex discrimination became enforceable. "The workplace culture definitely needs to change," a worker with a disability told the commission. "We've got the legislation, we just need to make sure that businesses are keeping accountable to it." People with lived experience said secure work conditions characterised by fair contracts, financial stability and robust worker protections were foundational to addressing workplace sexual harassment. "Workers shouldn't have to choose between their safety and their livelihood," Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody said. "Workplace sexual harassment can affect every part of life, and people who experience it often have the least amount of power: those in insecure work, who are younger, on temporary visas, facing racism, ableism, homophobia, language barriers and other forms of discrimination." Dr Cody described the report as a crucial final step in the commission's Respect@Work agenda, but there was more to be done. "The report calls for real action, accountability and cultural shifts for everyone to be safe and respected at work," she said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Lifeline 13 11 14 Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578 Employers who ignore requirements to end workplace sexual harassment and discrimination could face civil penalties. A landmark report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has amplified the voices of more than 300 victim-survivors. Contributors told the commission many aspects of their living and working conditions made it difficult for workplace sexual harassment to be prevented and properly addressed. This included casual work with no job security, visa restrictions, being silenced with non-disclosure agreements and not having the support to know how to report harassment. The report outlines 11 key recommendations to address this form of harassment, including law reform to limit the use of confidentiality and NDAs and increased funding for specialist support services. It also recommends introducing civil penalties for employers who breach their positive duty under the act. Workplaces needed to reduce barriers to education, safety, support, justice and accountability, the report found. It is the final recommendation of the Respect@Work report, handed down by former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins in 2020, which identified strong leadership as a key to preventing workplace sexual harassment. At the end of 2023, a "positive duty" requiring employers to take steps to eliminate work-related sexual harassment and sex discrimination became enforceable. "The workplace culture definitely needs to change," a worker with a disability told the commission. "We've got the legislation, we just need to make sure that businesses are keeping accountable to it." People with lived experience said secure work conditions characterised by fair contracts, financial stability and robust worker protections were foundational to addressing workplace sexual harassment. "Workers shouldn't have to choose between their safety and their livelihood," Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody said. "Workplace sexual harassment can affect every part of life, and people who experience it often have the least amount of power: those in insecure work, who are younger, on temporary visas, facing racism, ableism, homophobia, language barriers and other forms of discrimination." Dr Cody described the report as a crucial final step in the commission's Respect@Work agenda, but there was more to be done. "The report calls for real action, accountability and cultural shifts for everyone to be safe and respected at work," she said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Lifeline 13 11 14 Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578 Employers who ignore requirements to end workplace sexual harassment and discrimination could face civil penalties. A landmark report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has amplified the voices of more than 300 victim-survivors. Contributors told the commission many aspects of their living and working conditions made it difficult for workplace sexual harassment to be prevented and properly addressed. This included casual work with no job security, visa restrictions, being silenced with non-disclosure agreements and not having the support to know how to report harassment. The report outlines 11 key recommendations to address this form of harassment, including law reform to limit the use of confidentiality and NDAs and increased funding for specialist support services. It also recommends introducing civil penalties for employers who breach their positive duty under the act. Workplaces needed to reduce barriers to education, safety, support, justice and accountability, the report found. It is the final recommendation of the Respect@Work report, handed down by former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins in 2020, which identified strong leadership as a key to preventing workplace sexual harassment. At the end of 2023, a "positive duty" requiring employers to take steps to eliminate work-related sexual harassment and sex discrimination became enforceable. "The workplace culture definitely needs to change," a worker with a disability told the commission. "We've got the legislation, we just need to make sure that businesses are keeping accountable to it." People with lived experience said secure work conditions characterised by fair contracts, financial stability and robust worker protections were foundational to addressing workplace sexual harassment. "Workers shouldn't have to choose between their safety and their livelihood," Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody said. "Workplace sexual harassment can affect every part of life, and people who experience it often have the least amount of power: those in insecure work, who are younger, on temporary visas, facing racism, ableism, homophobia, language barriers and other forms of discrimination." Dr Cody described the report as a crucial final step in the commission's Respect@Work agenda, but there was more to be done. "The report calls for real action, accountability and cultural shifts for everyone to be safe and respected at work," she said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Lifeline 13 11 14 Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578 Employers who ignore requirements to end workplace sexual harassment and discrimination could face civil penalties. A landmark report by the Australian Human Rights Commission has amplified the voices of more than 300 victim-survivors. Contributors told the commission many aspects of their living and working conditions made it difficult for workplace sexual harassment to be prevented and properly addressed. This included casual work with no job security, visa restrictions, being silenced with non-disclosure agreements and not having the support to know how to report harassment. The report outlines 11 key recommendations to address this form of harassment, including law reform to limit the use of confidentiality and NDAs and increased funding for specialist support services. It also recommends introducing civil penalties for employers who breach their positive duty under the act. Workplaces needed to reduce barriers to education, safety, support, justice and accountability, the report found. It is the final recommendation of the Respect@Work report, handed down by former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins in 2020, which identified strong leadership as a key to preventing workplace sexual harassment. At the end of 2023, a "positive duty" requiring employers to take steps to eliminate work-related sexual harassment and sex discrimination became enforceable. "The workplace culture definitely needs to change," a worker with a disability told the commission. "We've got the legislation, we just need to make sure that businesses are keeping accountable to it." People with lived experience said secure work conditions characterised by fair contracts, financial stability and robust worker protections were foundational to addressing workplace sexual harassment. "Workers shouldn't have to choose between their safety and their livelihood," Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody said. "Workplace sexual harassment can affect every part of life, and people who experience it often have the least amount of power: those in insecure work, who are younger, on temporary visas, facing racism, ableism, homophobia, language barriers and other forms of discrimination." Dr Cody described the report as a crucial final step in the commission's Respect@Work agenda, but there was more to be done. "The report calls for real action, accountability and cultural shifts for everyone to be safe and respected at work," she said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Lifeline 13 11 14 Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Brighton's original boutique hotel is voted its best still
I've woken up next to a knitted GPO 706L telephone and underneath a hand-knitted bedspread. Knitted seagulls dangle from a mobile above my head and elsewhere in my 'Do knit disturb' room at the Pelirocco. Artist and knitwear designer Kate Jenkins has created a plate of fish and chips, flowers and er, the curtains. Design trends have come and gone, but 25 years after it opened, Brighton's Hotel Pelirocco is still the queen of kitsch. Guests step through the hotel's Regency Square façade into an intoxicating pink-and-gold explosion of modern and retro art. At the turn of the millennium, the 'Peli' opened on a budget. Its website calls it Brighton's original boutique hotel – though so does that of Blanch House, which opened around the same time. In the late 1990s, its creator and former owner Mick Robinson (AKA'Ginger Mick') had stayed in the Oscar Wilde room at another Brighton hotel and checked out disappointed. He began looking around and found a run-down property in a central location close to the seafront. 'When we turned up on our first day, the balcony had fallen off,' Robinson tells me at the hotel's 25th birthday party. Robinson named Pelirocco after his DJ name. At that time he had a radio show called Pelirocco Platters. Pelirocco channelled Brighton's music scene with a record label and one of the earliest, if not the first, hotel soundtracks. Primal Scream, Howard Marks, Irvine Welsh, Carl Barât, Eddie Izzard, the Happy Mondays, New Order, Tim Burgess, the Scissor Sisters, Mr Scruff, Jessie Wallace and Gilles Peterson have all checked in. Fatboy Slim, the Cuban Brothers and Asian Dub Foundation have performed in the bar. The 19 themed rooms pay homage to cultural heroes (Leigh Bowery) and musical subcultures (Modrophenia). The country cabin-style Dollywould and Rebel Rebel have fancy dress kits, so guests can get their Dolly or their Bowie on before heading to the bar. Some are more risqué than others. Botanica has a dancing pole. Taboo, a collaboration with a local adult boutique, has a bed with anchor points. Nookii has other surprises in store. The building's transformation into a hotel was facilitated through sponsorship with companies including PlayStation, Nokia and Kraken. Robinson spent £40 on the art. 'We trolled Brighton's junk shops and car boot stalls and kept adding to it.' Profile shots of Bowie, Paul Weller, the Specials' Terry Hall and Brighton's own Fatboy Slim stare from hall landings, while film and gig posters and memorabilia celebrate punk, ska, reggae, dub, jazz, country and house music. Mark Gibson has been here since the hotel opened and has worn many hats. Since taking over as manager 12 years ago, he has navigated a slew of competitor hotels, the advent of Airbnb, a global pandemic and, more recently, a generational shift away from excessive behaviour. Maturing Gen-Xers have creaky hips and Gen Z's idea of Friday-night fun is a low-impact workout and a kombucha. That the Pelirocco is consistently voted Brighton's top boutique hotel on Tripadvisor is testament to its continued success. How does a hotel rooted in hedonism and fading subcultures stay relevant in the face of stiff competition? 'Guests have calmed down a little over the years,' says Gibson. 'There were times when we partied to the max, bands came back after their gigs, TVs went through windows, the bar didn't close and people partied until the sun came up. That was a weekly occurrence.' The team is always looking ahead to the next room re-theme, art launch or collaboration. Décor in the hotel's lounge and bar is constantly refreshed with bi-monthly art exhibitions, while annual upgrades keep rooms fresh. Gibson admits Airbnb has posed a challenge, but 'service' scores highly on the hotel's Tripadvisor rankings. 'We've got lots of staff who came for a 'short time' and are here a decade later, so often a guest's breakfast or cocktail is served by the same person they met years ago.' Pelirocco has not stopped partying. At its birthday celebrations, DJs include Don Letts, the Grammy-award-winning documentary maker and musician credited with walking a generation of punks down the reggae path. In the Rebel Rebel room, one half of street-art collective the Postman, whose pop-art murals are dotted around Brighton, is showing guests how to create their own piece of pop art. Pressure Sounds – which doubles as a small recording studio – has become a reggae room for the night and musicians are setting up in Bettie's Boudoir. On my way out I see Letts, talking to camera. 'I've had a long-standing relationship with the joint. And in a time where we are all glued to screens, places like this, where people can come together for a creative, collective, synchronised experience, should be treasured,' he says. The next morning I message Gibson. Has anything gone through a window? 'TVs are safe. All body parts are working,' he replies. The Peli tastes different to when it was bottled, but there's plenty of fizz in the old bird yet.
