ARTICLE · 29 MAY 2012

New national workplace bullying laws?

Marque Lawyers

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The Federal government is planning a new parliamentary inquiry into the causes and extent of workplace bullying.

AustraliaEmployment and HR

Amber Sharp (Formerly With Marque Lawyers)

Louise Rumble (Formerly With Marque Lawyers)

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Saturday was not a day of rest for Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten and Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who announced that the government was planning a parliamentary inquiry into the causes and extent of workplace bullying. This follows the Productivity Commission finding that workplace bullying is costing Australian businesses up to $36 billion per annum.

Workplace bullying has increasingly been attracting headlines, and the number of complaints littering HR Managers' desks has ballooned.

Last year, we saw the introduction of "Brodie's law" in Victoria to criminalize conduct related to workplace bullying. This followed an extreme instance of workplace bullying, which ultimately led the young victim to take her own life.

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