Employment Law Advisors

Sexual harassment at work is never something you have to accept.

Here's what your options are, including how to make a complaint, and when it's time to get legal advice.

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This is often the hardest thing on this list to come forward about. This page is here to explain your options clearly and without judgement, what a complaint process actually involves, and what legal help can do for you. How, when, or even whether you take things further is entirely your decision.

This might be your situation if

  • Unwelcome comments, jokes, or behaviour of a sexual nature from a colleague or manager.
  • Being pressured, or made to feel uncomfortable at work, because of your sex or gender.
  • Worried about what happens to your job or your team if you make a complaint.
  • Wanting to understand your options, including compensation, before deciding what to do.
  • The harassment is coming from a client or customer, not someone you work with directly.

You don't need to have already decided what you want to happen, or to have reported it anywhere yet. Tell us what's happened, in whatever detail feels right for now, and we'll help you understand where you stand.

Common questions

Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that a reasonable person would find offensive, humiliating, or intimidating, given the circumstances. It doesn't have to be repeated, and it covers a wide range of behaviour, comments, jokes, unwanted contact, and more.

It depends on your situation, and you're not limited to just one. An internal complaint is often a starting point, but the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Fair Work Commission both handle sexual harassment matters, sometimes at the same time. An adviser can help you work out the right path, or paths, for you.

Your employer still has a legal duty to protect you from sexual harassment by third parties, customers, clients, contractors, not only by coworkers or managers.

It's a real possibility depending on your situation, though there's no fixed figure and the process (and any compensation) varies by path and circumstances. An adviser can walk you through what's realistic once they understand what happened.

Related pages

Get in touch

Tell us what's happened and we'll connect you with the right employment lawyer or adviser.

Tell us what happened

Takes about two minutes. No long intake form, the detail comes later, once a real adviser is involved.

Speak to someone confidentially about what happened
1300 000 000 Speak to someone confidentially