Build your financial security with OBT Financial Group – Lockyer Valley Business of the Year recipients and specialist financial advisers to individuals, business owners and farming families on accounting, tax, business advice and wealth planning for over 40 years.Every Queensland business must have a sexual harassment prevention plan by 1 March 2025
New regulations regarding the preparation and implementation of a Sexual Harassment Prevention Plan took effect in Queensland on 1 March 2025.
From this date, Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs) must develop and implement a prevention plan to manage identified risks to workers’ health and safety from sexual harassment and sex- or gender-based harassment. This requirement applies wherever a risk has been identified and control measures are needed to eliminate or minimise it.
About the prevention plan
The prevention plan must be in writing and provide a structured approach for managing workplace harassment risks, similar to other workplace safety risks. PCBUs may integrate existing systems and processes into their prevention plan, provided they meet regulatory requirements.
The prevention plan must:
- Consider the characteristics of workers, the workplace, and the work environment
- Identify and assess risks and psychosocial hazards
- Outline the control measures the business will implement to eliminate or minimise the risk of sexual harassment
- Detail procedures for handling reports of sexual harassment and sex- or gender-based harassment at work.
Additionally, businesses must consult with workers during the development of the plan, effectively communicate it once implemented, and review it at least every three years.
Resources
To support compliance with these new requirements, the following guidance materials and templates are available from the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) website:
- Guide for PCBUs – Managing the risk of sexual harassment and sex- or gender-based harassment at work
- Prevention plan template
- Example prevention plan.
Further changes
The introduction of prevention plans marks the final stage of amendments to the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011, aimed at managing the risk of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Assistance with preparing a prevention plan
Developing a prevention plan requires:
- Analysing risks and hazards in your workplace
- Identifying and implementing control measures
- Consulting with employees and clearly communicating the plan.
Business Chamber Queensland members with HR services included in their membership can contact the Workplace Advisory Services team at:
📞 1300 731 988
Their Workplace Advisory team can assist businesses at each stage of the process, including facilitating internal stakeholder meetings and drafting a written prevention plan.
