Lubeck shepherds sexual harassment bill into law

The timeframe to raise a personal grievance for sexual harassment will soon increase from 90 days to 12 months, following the final passage through Parliament of the Employment Relations (Extended Time for Personal Grievance for Sexual Harassment) Amendment Bill.

The bill was sponsored by Labour List MP Marja Lubeck, of Mahurangi.

Once it becomes law, all new employment agreements will need to specifically reference the 12 months within which an employee can raise a grievance. The rationale is to allow victims of sexual harassment more time to consider whether they want to bring a personal grievance. However, the law is not retrospective so will not impact existing agreements.

Lubeck says the bill was an example of collegial law-making, with bipartisan support across the house. This included Kaipara ki Mahurangi MP Chris Penk who congratulated Lubeck, and the original promoter of the bill, Dr Deborah Russell. At the third reading, Penk acknowledged the courage of those who had come forward to seek the law change and anyone who in a workplace, or elsewhere, has suffered, at the hands of another person, sexual harassment or similar unacceptable behaviour.

“It goes without saying that such behaviour is unacceptable, and in addition to passing this specific law, the House condemns such behaviour in no uncertain terms,” he said.

Lubeck said many harrowing stories had surfaced during the bill’s progress into law.

“Coming forward to report sexual harassment can be difficult, and it is common for victims of sexual harassment to wait a long time before coming forward,” she said.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe at work, and it is important employees have time to consider what has occurred and feel safe to raise it with others.”

Lubeck previously successfully lobbied, through the Private Members Bill process, to end conversion therapy.

She is not contesting the October election and will give her valedictory speech in Parliament on August 15.

Money allocated to crime prevention

By Laura Kvigstad, Auckland Council reporter. Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.

Local Boards in Auckland will get an equal share of crime prevention funding, after Mayor Wayne Brown rejected a recommendation from staff.

A total of $2 million was given to Auckland Council by the Ministry of Social Development to invest in community safety initiatives. The Regulatory and Safety committee voted on May 30 on how to allocate the $2 million – $1 million to local boards and $1 million via council-affiliated Business Improvement Districts (BID). The split was put forward in a resolution by Mayor Brown, which countered council staff advice that $1 million should be put into a contestable fund and $1 million to local boards using crime data to decide the distribution of funding.

Originally, staff suggested distributing 75 per cent of the $1 million based on crime data in local board areas and 25 per cent split evenly across all 21 local boards.

“Actually, think a bit deeper and see why crime is not as high in some areas that have spent money on prevention. Money on prevention works,” Brown said.

“Those BIDs that have spent their money on crime prevention are down the list for crime – Some of the areas are well down because they spend 40 per cent of their money on crime prevention.”

(full story online at www.localmatters.co.nz)