Australian company boards are "central" in stamping out workplace sexual harassment despite their hesitancy, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner says.
Speaking to the Australian Governance Summit on Wednesday, Kate Jenkins noted only 19 per cent of Australian companies recognised the board as having the primary role in preventing and responding to sexual harassment.
Ms Jenkins said that couldn't be further from the truth.
"Boards have a view that we can't regulate culture, that this is a management issue, that HR should be dealing with this," Ms Jenkins said.
"The time has come for this hands-off approach by boards to end. Boards are central to the change required."
Ms Jenkins said Australians were less likely to make formal complaints about workplace sexual harassment, so company boards needed to be proactive.
She said organisations should look at whistleblower lines and anonymous reporting as workers were more likely to come forward if they believed their jobs were not at risk.
The commissioner said companies could then keep track of that information and identify any common issues.
"If you're waiting for complaints, you'll probably think you don't have a problem," Ms Jenkins told the Melbourne audience.
"When you look at our sexual harassment surveys and cut it down by industry, you'll realise sexual harassment is quite prevalent in yours."
Ms Jenkins also noted the importance of diversity on boards, saying it would ensure the right questions were being asked and key issues were not being missed.
The commissioner said tackling harassment in the workplace was not about being the "fun police".
"There's this narrative that we've got to have a joke," Ms Jenkins said. "We're not saying get rid of fun.
"We are saying getting rid of disgusting, unacceptable sexual comments that are hurtful."
Ms Jenkins said the findings of the Sex Discrimination Commission's latest national survey will be published later this year.
