It is extraordinary that as we approach some fifty years of laws
in Australia making sexual harassment unlawful, its occurrence
continues to attract an exponential amount of sensational, if not
salacious, reporting and publicity. But just what does the future
hold for sexual harassment in 2020 and beyond?
What is particularly interesting about the reporting of sexual
harassment cases in the media, and what leads to it becoming a
tactic of lawyers who act for applicants or plaintiffs in these
cases, is the didactic nature of many claims that are brought and
that are subsequently reported in the media. The
"outrage" that someone engaged in conduct as "a
married man" or that two people carried on a consensual affair
as colleagues is, regrettably, a narrative that not only detracts
from the legitimacy of real sexual harassment cases but also has a
catastrophic impact on the need to address barriers for women
progressing in the workforce. The legal/PR strategy is
