Bullying
Bullying occurs when a person or a group of people repeatedly behave unreasonably towards you and the behaviour creates a risk to your health and safety.
Bullying can include:
- aggressive and intimidating behaviour
- abusive or offensive language and comments
- belittling or humiliating comments
- practical jokes or initiation rituals
- unjustified and unreasonable criticism or complaints
- actions that deliberately isolate another person
- conduct that is continuously and pervasively insulting, undermining or derogatory.
Bullying is unlawful under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
Harassment
Harassment is unwelcome verbal or physical behaviour that intimidates, offends, belittles or humiliates a person or a group of employees because of a particular personal characteristic such as sex, age, race, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation. It can be a pattern of behaviour or conduct, or it can be a single incident.
Workplace harassment can include:
- derogatory jokes
- asking intrusive questions about someone’s personal life, including their sex life
- verbal abuse and constant ridicule
- repeated threats of dismissal
- humiliating a person through gestures, sarcasm, criticism and insults
- spreading gossip or false, malicious rumours about a person, and
- sabotaging a person’s work, for example by withholding or suppling incorrect information, hiding documents or equipment, not passing on messages and seeking to get a person into trouble.
State, territory and federal laws provide a number of criminal offences relating to different forms of harassment across Australia.
Access Support Services
MOP(S) Act Employees can access confidential trauma-aware support and assistance. The PWSS Counselling & Support team can provide confidential support and advice on your options. You can remain anonymous while receiving support.
- Call us at 1800 PH PWSS (1800 747 977)
- Email support@pwss.gov.au- external site
- Text us on 0487 112 755
- Stop by and see us, or make an appointment. We are located at Suite M2.105 in Parliament House. We are available from 8:30am-7pm Monday to Wednesday of sitting weeks and from 9am-5pm on all other business days.
