AHRC Bids Farewell To Outgoing Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins

Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, has joined her colleagues to bid farewell to outgoing Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins and celebrate the massive impact her work has had on communities and workplaces in the country.

During her seven-year term, Jenkins’ meticulous work has prompted cultural change and improved practices, policies, and funding to encourage greater gender equality and effectively tackle sexual harassment.

Her landmark Respect@Work report elaborated on the prevalence and impact of sexual harassment in workplaces across Australia. Last year, the Federal Government revealed its commitment to implementing all 55 recommendations of the report released in 2020.

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One in three Australian workers have encountered sexual harassment at work in the past 5 years, said respondents to the Commission’s 2022 National Sexual Harassment Survey Time for Respect.

Jenkins’ work has also brought a noteworthy cultural shift in Federal Parliament, introducing more respectful and inclusive workplaces for staffers as well as parliamentarians. Since the publication of a related landmark report in 2021, the Commission has welcomed the news that parliament is making significant progress in improving workplace culture.

Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan appreciated the role Jenkins has played to make the world a better place for all, adding “She has not merely added another brick to the foundation for human rights, she’s built a whole wall.”

In her statement, Jenkins appreciated the courage a number of people have shown by speaking out against sexual harassment and discrimination in Australia. She also thanked her colleagues at the Commission and underscored the urgent need for businesses to take action to build safer workplace cultures, “now that the necessary laws are in place.”