What is respect for women?

Respect for women in Australia is the principle that women should be treated as equal participants in all areas of public and private life, free from violence, harassment, and discrimination. It is supported by anti-discrimination laws, specific reforms following the 2020 Respect@Work report, and a continuing national conversation about gender-based violence and workplace culture.

Several legal frameworks support respect for women. The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 prohibits sex-based discrimination and sexual harassment, with the Respect@Work amendments of 2021 and the positive duty introduced from 2023 strengthening employer obligations. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency requires non-public-sector employers with 100 or more employees to report annually on gender equality indicators. The Family Violence Protection Acts in each state, with intervention orders, family violence police units, and specialist family violence courts, address violence against women specifically.

National frameworks coordinate the response. The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 sets a 10-year strategy for prevention, early intervention, response, and recovery. Domestic, family, and sexual violence remains the leading cause of preventable death and ill-health for Australian women aged 25 to 44, with about one woman killed every nine days by a current or former partner. The 1800RESPECT national counselling service (1800 737 732), the Family Violence Prevention Legal Service, and state-specific helplines provide support. Family violence leave (10 paid days a year for all employees) was introduced from 2023.

Workplace respect has been the subject of particularly active reform. The 2020 Respect@Work report by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins documented widespread workplace sexual harassment and proposed 55 reforms, most of which were accepted by the federal government and progressively implemented from 2021. The 2021 Set the Standard report by Kate Jenkins applied similar analysis to Commonwealth Parliament workplaces, leading to creation of the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service and the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission. The broader cultural shift, supported by movements including March 4 Justice in 2021, has reset expectations across Australian workplaces.