Bullying, Harassment & Discrimination Policy
A combined policy that covers your obligations on bullying, harassment and unlawful discrimination under Australian workplace law.
Australian employers have a positive duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment and sex-based harassment from the workplace under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and the Fair Work Act 2009. A combined Bullying, Harassment & Discrimination policy is the single most important document for demonstrating that you have systems in place to meet that duty.
This free template is written for Australian employers and incorporates obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009, Sex Discrimination Act 1984, Racial Discrimination Act 1975, Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Age Discrimination Act 2004, and state-based equal opportunity legislation.
What this template covers - Definitions of bullying (per the Fair Work Commission), harassment, sexual harassment, and unlawful discrimination. - Examples of unacceptable behaviour and the protected attributes covered. - Worker, manager and officer responsibilities. - Reporting channels including the Fair Work anti-bullying jurisdiction and the Australian Human Rights Commission. - Investigation, support, and consequence framework. - Positive-duty considerations introduced by the Anti-Discrimination and Human Rights Legislation Amendment (Respect at Work) Act 2022.
Why every Australian business needs one The Respect at Work positive duty means you must take reasonable and proportionate measures to prevent these behaviours - not just respond after the fact. A documented and trained-on policy is a baseline expectation.
Download the editable Word template, brand it with your business details, and pair it with manager training and your Grievance procedure.
Disclaimer. This template is general-purpose drafting for Australian employers and is not legal advice. Review and adapt the template for your industry, modern award coverage and workplace before issuing it. For complex, high-risk or contested matters seek advice from an employment lawyer or IR adviser.