Ministers have marked the exit of Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner. 

Outgoing Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins has been praised by the Attorney-General and the Minister for Women for her work in creating a “better and fairer” society.

In a joint statement, Mark Dreyfus and Katy Gallagher have thanked Jenkins for her seven years of service as Commissioner, stating that her work has significantly advanced gender equality in Australia.

Jenkins’ landmark Respect@Work inquiry, which she led in 2020, was a driving force behind the new federal government’s Respect@Work laws. 

These laws create a statutory duty for employers to provide workplaces free from sexual harassment. The inquiry also recommended reforms to make workplaces safer for everyone, exploding the myth that sexual harassment is inevitable.

“Sexual harassment is not inevitable — it is preventable. Without the hard work of Kate Jenkins and the victim-survivors who told her of their experiences, these laws would not exist,” said Dreyfus and Gallagher.

Jenkins was also instrumental in several other inquiries into the prevalence of sexual harassment in Australian universities and Australian gymnastics.

She has also led projects on cultural reform with the Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police, and Australian Border Force.

Jenkins’ report, Set the Standard, was handed to the government in late 2021, and a bipartisan parliamentary leadership taskforce led by Dr Vivienne Thom has been established to oversee its implementation in the parliamentary workplace.

“When widespread reports of sexual assault, harassment and bullying were exposed in the nation’s parliament it was Kate Jenkins’ ‘Set the Standard’ review that once again laid down the path to a better, safer and more respectful workplace,” said Dreyfus and Gallagher.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Jenkins said the Respect@Work and Set the Standard recommendations were the two achievements she was most proud of. She emphasised the importance of making the parliamentary workplace safe and productive for all Australians.

“The people in that workplace [parliament] are making decisions for us every day, it’s the top workplace in a way, so that it becomes more safe and productive is in our interests for multiple reasons,” she said.