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This is the text of a letter from Commissioner Ozdowski on 4 October 2005 in response to a request from the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations for views on the effect of the draft Disability Standard on Access to Premises on small business and in particular small business operating out of existing buildings:

The Australian Human Rights Commission recently (May 2004) met with representatives from a number of small business organisations to discuss the draft Premises Standards. The purpose of the meetings was to provide additional information on a number of specific concerns that had been raised. The Commission followed up the meetings with a letter which is reproduced below.

A significant number of sexual harassment complaints received by the Commission involve small businesses. Employers should be aware of the potential for sexual harassment to occur in the context of close working relationships where staff are on familiar terms with one another and should take appropriate precautions to avoid this risk.

The majority of reported sexual harassment was targeted at women, involved multiple forms of harassing behaviour and occurred on more than one occasion. In over one in five cases, the harassment continued for more than 12 months. Verbal harassment was often a precursor to physical forms of harassment.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual conduct which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated where that reaction is reasonable in the circumstances. Sexual harassment in employment is unlawful under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth).

Human rights are universal. This means they apply to all people wherever they live and whatever their circumstances. People living in rural areas have an equal entitlement to human rights as those people who live in urban areas. However, for rural Australians, the full enjoyment of their human rights can sometimes be problematic. The reasons for this are many and varied. They include issues of…

In summary Mothers Survey Discrimination in the workplace against mothers is pervasive. One in two mothers reported experiencing discrimination at some point during pregnancy, parental leave or on return to work. Discrimination is experienced in many different forms ranging from negative attitudes in the workplace through to job loss. 32% of all mothers who were discriminated against at some…

The Equal Pay Handbook (1998) The Equal Pay Handbook aims to assist employers to meet their obligations under federal industrial and anti-discrimination legislation. It is also relevant to employees, equity practitioners and unions. It contains essential equal remuneration principles, explanatory material, case law, case studies and an equal remuneration audit methodology. The Handbook is…

The Third Report examines the juvenile justice system and its impact on Indigenous children and young people. It also includes a discussion of the recent High Court decision in Teoh and its implications for Australian human rights law and practice. A detailed consideration of cultural rights under Article 27 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is provided…

The Fifth Report 1997 includes a discussion of co-existence with emphasis on the Wik decision and a consideration of the 30 years of Indigenous affairs since the 1967 Referendum. A time line summarises some of the major achievements of Indigenous activism in that time. The report includes a chapter on the contemporary separations of Indigenous children from their families through the juvenile…