The Government has announced the Employment Relations (Extended Time for Personal Grievance for Sexual Harassment) Amendment Bill (“the Bill”), which will extend the time limit for an employee to raise a personal grievance involving an allegation of sexual harassment. The Bill will extend this timeframe from 90 days to 12 months.
The Bill is intended to make the process of raising allegations of sexual harassment easier for victims. This recognises the difficulties faced by victims of sexual harassment in reporting their experiences. It can take a long time for victims to consider what has happened and feel safe to discuss with others. The 90 day threshold puts what many view as an arbitrary line in the sand, which may see claims of sexual harassment fall at the first hurdle.
The Bill is currently on its first reading and will need to go through the full parliamentary and select committee processes, so is likely to come into force in mid-2022.
Feel free to contact a member of our employment law team for more information on the Bill or the personal grievance process.
Disclaimer: The content of this article is general in nature and not intended as a substitute for specific professional advice on any matter and should not be relied upon for that purpose.
