Ahead of next week's federal government hosted national summit on women's safety, federal Labor is pledging almost $27 million to expand Working Women's Centres across the nation and to establish one-stop shops to assist sexual harassment victims.
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Working Women's Centres provide free and confidential information, advocacy, support and advice to women on work related issues, including sexual harassment, wage theft, and discrimination. The centres currently operate only in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
If elected, an Albanese Labor government has promised $24 million to ensure new and what it describes as properly funded Working Women's Centres in every Australian state and territory.
It is also pledging $1.27 million to establish a one-stop shop, within the Australian Human Rights Commission, to assist victims of workplace sexual harassment.
Labor proposes that employers would also access the one-stop shop so they can understand their responsibilities.
The Human Rights Commission would also receive $1.5 million under Labor, to hear and confidentially document the experiences of victims of historical workplace sexual harassment.
Federal Labor's package of working women's support measures comes days ahead of the two-day national summit on women's safety which will now be held online and later in the year than expected due to Australia's COVID-19 third wave.
More than 300 people are due to attend the summit, which will include sessions on financial security, policing and justice responses, and sexual violence.
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