On 19 August 2024 Legal Officer Jeff Rosales-Castaneda presented a training session to the Independent Education Union of Australia WA Branch, which has noted an increase among the schools it covers in incidents of sexual harassment against teachers, including by students. The session was tailored to focus on how the Act can assist union officials to support their members in dealing with sexual harassment. The session covered a definition of sexual harassment, elements of proof, an explanation of the confidential and impartial process by which the Commission investigates and seeks to resolve complaints through conciliation, as well as illustrative examples available in the public domain from outcomes of legal proceedings in various jurisdictions.
On 22 August 2024 Acting Manager Strategy and Engagement Greg Watson was the invited guest speaker of a group of men who meet each month at All Saints’ Anglican Church in Dianella to learn more about a topic of shared interest.
Greg presented on Equal Opportunity Law in WA to give a broad overview of the provisions in the Act. The presentation included remedies to discrimination and harassment, exemptions that relate to religious organisations, and how the Act relates to Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation. The group engaged enthusiastically, posing questions and providing hypotheticals, which resulted in a thoughtful exploration and concluded with an appreciation of the relevance of the legislation discussed during the session not only to the interests of the group, but well beyond.
