Sexual Harassment in Rural Australia: Predicted Nature, Reporting, Employment Policies and Legal Response

There is a vast array of literature that focuses on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces generally. It is widely accepted that the prevalence is high, that reporting is low and that the employer response to sexual harassment is largely inadequate. However, there is very little research to date that focuses specifically on these issues in rural and remote area workplaces. In this paper we look at what has been found about other types of violence in these localities. Research such as that by Margaret Alston and Russell Hogg indicates that rural women who fall victim to violence and domestic abuse face an assortment of concerns that city-based victims may not, and which are a function of their geographical isolation. These concerns include having to navigate the dense relational bonds between individuals and between organizations and community in rural areas and also having to overcome a blurred line between the workplace and the private sphere. The strong possibility of being subject to community gossip is another factor in deciding whether to seek assistance as is the fear of being seen to break the traditional rural value of being selfreliant. Simply being able to source local assistance in the event that one does choose to report violence is highly problematic.