Harassment Prevention Training in Australia
Everything You Need to Know
What is the key legislation for harassment prevention training in Australia?
Unlike some jurisdictions, Australia does not have a federal or state law that explicitly mandates harassment prevention training at a prescribed frequency or duration. However, employers have legal obligations to prevent harassment, discrimination, and psychosocial harm under a combination of Commonwealth, state, and territory laws.
At the Commonwealth level, key legislation includes the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Age Discrimination Act 2004, Racial Discrimination Act 1975, and Fair Work Act 2009.
Additional obligations may arise under state and territory workplace health and safety and anti-discrimination laws, including those in New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. These laws generally require employers to take reasonable steps to prevent workplace risks, including harassment and other psychosocial hazards.
Which types of employers are affected?
These obligations generally apply to employers throughout Australia, including employers operating in or employing workers in:
- The Commonwealth of Australia
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
- Australian Capital Territory
What are the seat time and training frequency requirements?
Australian harassment and workplace safety laws do not prescribe a minimum seat-time requirement or mandatory retraining schedule for harassment prevention training.
However, across the Commonwealth and various states and territories, employers may be expected to provide training that is reasonably practicable to support compliance with their obligations to prevent harassment, discrimination, and psychosocial risks in the workplace.
Which topics are required for training?
Australian laws generally do not prescribe specific harassment prevention training topics. However, regulators and government agencies across Australia recommend that employers educate workers about preventing harassment, discrimination, and psychosocial hazards in the workplace.
ComplyEQ’s training is aligned with guidance and recommendations from multiple Australian jurisdictions, including:
- The Commonwealth’s A Quick Guide for Complying with the Positive Duty under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984
- New South Wales’ Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work and Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Codes of Practice
- Northern Territory’s Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work and Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Codes of Practice
- Queensland’s Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice
- South Australia’s Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work and Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Codes of Practice
- Tasmania’s Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work and Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Codes of Practice
- Western Australia’s Workplace Behaviour Code of Practice
- Australian Capital Territory’s Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work and Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Codes of Practice
- Victoria’s Psychological Health Compliance Code
How can ComplyEQ help employers address these obligations?
ComplyEQ’s Preventing Harassment and Discrimination in Australia training helps organizations support their workplace obligations across Australia by providing practical guidance on recognizing, preventing, and responding to harassment and discrimination. The course is informed by Commonwealth, state, and territory guidance related to harassment prevention and psychosocial risk management and can be supplemented with organization-specific policies, reporting procedures, and workplace expectations through configurable course elements. Learn more about how this training can address your compliance goals here.
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This resource highlights workplace training mandates on selected topics, including harassment and discrimination prevention, bystander intervention, and workplace violence prevention. It is not a comprehensive list of all workplace training requirements or recommendations across all topics or jurisdictions. Information reflects the latest guidance available at the time of publication and may change. This resource is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Organizations should consult their legal counsel to determine specific training obligations.