Mandatory training to protect hospitality workers
The Malinauskas Labor Government will move to protect South Australia’s hospitality workers and patrons from sexual harassment with mandatory industry-wide training.
The State Government will consult with both industry and the broader community on the inclusion of bystander intervention training as part of responsible service of alcohol (RSA) training.
Speaking at the launch of the Australian Hotels’ Association’s new bystander intervention program, Minister Michaels welcomed the AHA’s new training – available to its approximately 600 members - and announced the State Government would seek to provide a broader training program for licensed venues in the hospitality industry to help protect staff and patrons.
The new training would help staff better identify and respond to sexual harassment and other unwanted behaviour so as to protect both hospitality workers and patrons.
The State Government will also be consulting on training looking specifically at prevention and support of victims of drink spiking.
The move follows feedback received by the Equal Opportunity Commissioner, the United Workers Union and What Were You Wearing Australia including during consultation on the Late Night Code.
It also follows the release of Not So Hospitable: Sexual Harassment in the Adelaide Hospitality Industry report published by Jamie Bucirde and the University of Melbourne.
In response, the Malinauskas Government will soon begin consultation on mandatory sector-wide training for the hospitality sector.
Quotes
Attributable to Katrine Hildyard
The persistence of sexual harassment and violence is horrific. No-one, no matter where they work, where they head to for a night out or whether they are at home, should ever be subject to it.
Our Government is determined to use every lever we have to address gender inequality and the misogynistic, disrespectful attitudes that lead to sexual harassment and sexual violence.
That means ensuring more people have an understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment and violence, what drives it and how to feel confident to speak up and act against it.
Implementing bystander intervention training is about doing just that in ways that provide more support for women and girls, and reiterates that sexual violence of any kind has no place in our community.
I look forward to working closely with government colleagues and stakeholders across industries and community as we take an important step forward in combatting sexual violence in the workplace and in society more broadly.
Attributable to Andrea Michaels
Sexual harassment is completely unacceptable and I commend the AHA for the work they have done to support their members to address this serious issue.
The Malinauskas Government wants to ensure this training is available more broadly to help stamp it out across the sector.
Mandatory bystander training would help empower hospitality workers to identify and respond to sexual harassment as well as play a role in changing disrespectful attitudes toward women which contribute to making them unsafe.
Attributable to Anna Moeller, Australian Hotels’ Association SA Chief Executive
Sexual harassment and any other form of anti-social behaviour is inappropriate in any workplace in any industry.
Hospitality is a broad church and whilst hotels only make up approximately 600 of the some 6000 venues of this kind across the state, we are proud to be at the forefront of a proactive response to the concerns raised by Ms Burcide in her report as well as those raised by the Equal Opportunity Commissioner.
The safety of hotel staff is of paramount concern to us and the Bystander Intervention training for those already working within hotels that we are launching this week will play an integral role in ensuring that staff in our industry are equipped with the knowledge, tools and resources to enhance their safety while at work.
We look forward to continuing to work with both the Equal Opportunity Commissioner and Government in the roll out of bystander training within the Responsible Service of Alcohol qualification for those entering industry.