ABSTRACT
This article considers recent trends in the judicial interpretation of workplace vicarious liability provisions with respect to sexual harassment matters under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SDA). In a study undertaken by the authors in 2008, we found that the Federal Court and Federal Magistrates Court appeared to be taking a ‘broad-brush’ approach in interpreting employers’ duty to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment and defining ‘in connection with employment’. The authors update that analysis and evaluate a sample of cases from 2011 to 2018, concluding that it is possible the Courts are approaching these legislative elements of vicarious liability with an increasingly narrow brush.
Easteal, Patricia L and Saunders, Skye, Revisiting Vicarious Liability in Sexual Harassment Cases Heard Under the Sex Discrimination Act (November 12, 2019).
First posted 2019-11-28 07:08:47
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