ARTICLE · 12 SEPTEMBER 2013

The Bullying Code: Harmonised work health and safety laws pushing boundaries into white collar work

DLA Piper Australia

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The Code will create a national standard for best practice management in relation to workplace bullying in Australia.

AustraliaEmployment and HR

Australia has an impressive track record in legislating and enforcing work health and safety laws as underscored by the recent harmonisation of work health and safety laws in most jurisdictions across Australia¹.

Safe Work Australia's draft Code of Practice on Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying ("Bullying Code") is a game-changer that marks the first meaningful development in work health and safety law for employers in "safe" industries and office workers for many years.

The Bullying Code, once finalised, will set a national benchmark for managing workplace bullying that is likely to have a strong impact on employment law.

As a by-product of harmonised workplace health and safety laws in Australia, the Bullying Code can be expected to resonate much more strongly than single State work health and safety initiatives have done in the past to combat harassment or bullying².

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