The National Retail Association (NRA) says the industry needs greater resourcing and consistent legislation to prevent sexual harassment towards retail staff.
The industry body notes a review by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission that revealed some businesses are inadequately positioned to uphold the state’s unique laws that make sexual harassment in certain areas of public life a crime.
NRA CEO Dominique Lamb says an overhaul is needed to back consistent legislation across the country.
“Under no circumstance should retail staff be on the receiving end of sexual harassment,” she says.
“Retail is a high-risk sector for this kind of behaviour, and it is an issue we take very seriously.
“Yet, what this review found is that we are lacking sexual harassment prevention plans, central registers for recording complaints and we are yet to see adequate training for staff on how to avoid risks.
“We have been given the positive duty to prevent sexual harassment, but many businesses are yet to be engaged as part of the proactive process.
“The burden should be removed from the people who suffer harm from the harassment by taking offences seriously and making preventative measures enforceable.
“As one of the largest employers of young people and women, we need measures in place to ensure our staff are safe.”