More needed beyond laws

CANBERRA: The Federal Government’s proposed workplace sexual harassment laws fall short of a landmark review’s recommendations and won’t stop harm, advocates have warned.

Labor and the Greens also want all recommendations made by commissioner Kate Jenkins to be wholly ref lected in the draft ‘‘respect at work’’ bill.

‘‘In its current form, the respect at work bill is insufficient to really stamp out sexual harassment,’’ Diversity Council Australia head Lisa Annese said.

The government and businesses are urged to take a more proactive approach to prevent harm, rather than set up a process of handling complaints after they happen.

Green Circle Legal chief executive Sara Kane said the bill should be changed to boost protections for complainants and provide longer time frames to make complaints.

She also wants ‘‘substantive equality between men and women’’ to be written into black letter law.