Australia will conduct a national inquiry into sexual harassment in workplaces in what it is billing as a “world first” response to allegations of sexual misconduct highlighted by the #MeToo movement. The year-long independent inquiry by the Australian Human Rights Commission will investigate the drivers of harassment, the economic impact of the behaviour and how the existing legal framework can be improved. It comes as a new survey shows there has been an increase in reports of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces since a similar exercise in 2012, when one in five people reported they had experienced misconduct. Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner, Katie Jenkins, said the inquiry would raise public awareness and recommend rules aimed at eliminating sexual harassment in the future. The possibility of making sexual harassment a criminal offence would be considered by the inquiry, she added.

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Financial Times