Funding for advice and support services for women who experience sexual harassment and other workplace issues

Overview

The Funding for advice and support services for women who experience sexual harassment and other workplace issues grant program (the program) will run over three financial years from 2022-23 to 2024-25.  The program contributes to the achievement of the Attorney-General’s Department Program 2.2: Workplace Support, which is part of Outcome 2: facilitate jobs growth through policies and programs that promote fair, productive and safe workplaces.  The purpose of the program is to provide funding to selected working women’s centres. Working women’s centres are not-for-profit, community organisations that provide free information, advice and assistance to women on work-related matters, such as sexual harassment, workplace entitlements and rights, gender issues and discrimination.  The program is part of the Government’s response to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces Report (Respect@Work Report). On 8 April 2021, the Australian Government committed to engaging with State and Territory Governments on funding for working women’s centres in response to recommendation 49 of the Respect@Work Report, which is that:  Australian governments provide increased and recurrent funding to working women’s centres to provide information, advice and assistance to vulnerable workers who experience sexual harassment, taking into account particular needs of workers facing intersectional discrimination (…). The program will provide further Commonwealth funding for working women’s centres from 1 July 2022 through to 31 December 2024, to ensure that women can access appropriate and specialist support on workplace issues, particularly in relation to sexual harassment.