A WHS Code for accommodation facilities, and a regulatory unit with expertise in workplace harassment and assault, have been promised in response to a Western Australian inquiry, but the State Government has highlighted the "legal complexities" of creating a register of known offending workers.
Imposing a positive duty on employers to eliminate workplace discrimination, harassment and victimisation will fill gaps left by WHS laws and enforcement, but will not require duty holders to prove these forms of misconduct are "impossible" at their sites, according to a legislative review, whose 163 recommendations have been accepted in Western Australia.
Twenty-three national model WHS Codes of Practice have been made under Western Australia's new WHS laws, including one recently finalised by Safe Work Australia, while 14 of the State's old Codes have been revoked.
A WHS regulator has released three new information sheets with guidelines on identifying, controlling and responding to gendered violence in the workplace, specifically, s-xual harassment and assault.
The mining industry has been described as harbouring "a culture of cover-up", in the "'Enough Is Enough': S-xual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry" report. The parliamentary inquiry report makes 79 findings and 24 recommendations for addressing the "horrendous violence and abuse women are subjected to while going about their work".