The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) have welcomed new research which outlines measures to improve sexual safety for employees in retail.
This report, ‘Preventing young workers from experiencing predatory behaviour’, comes from the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and the Mikell Institute.
ARA Chief Industry Affairs Officer Fleur Brown says team safety and wellbeing is a top priority for industry and that the ARA supports the direction of the measures recommended in the report.
“Sexual harassment in any form has no place in society or the retail industry. The ARA and its members stand firm in our commitment to tackling this issue head-on and ensuring a safe, respectful environment for every worker, regardless of age, gender, or background,” she says.
“We commend the work undertaken by the SDA and their willingness to openly share the findings. We have already had advanced discussions with our members around the report. A collaborative approach is essential, involving government, industry, unions, and other key stakeholders.
“In particular, the ARA supports the push for consistent laws across states and territories, as well as the need for clarity around reporting requirements and the recommendation to ban sex offenders from working with children.
“However, some of the details of the recommendations will also need to be closely examined to ensure they are practical and effective.”