logo
Sexual harassment and violence training for bar staff

Sexual harassment and violence training for bar staff

The Advertiser21-06-2025
Making venues safer for workers and patrons alike is part of efforts to reinvigorate a major city's ailing nightlife with mandates for venue staff to undergo training around sexual harassment and violence prevention.
Training provided as part of Responsible Service of Alcohol accreditations follow several recent scandals engulfing major players in Sydney's hospitality industry and re-evaluation of its hard-partying reputation.
The changes ensure workers are better equipped to care for customers and colleagues with ambitions to make the state a global gold-standard for nightlife and entertainment, NSW Night-Time Economy Minister John Graham said.
"That only happens if our venues are safe, welcoming and respectful for everyone who walks through the door.
"The updated RSA training course gives hospitality staff real-world tools and guidance needed to step in, defuse trouble and assist their patrons when it counts."
RSA training - mandatory for anyone who sells, serves or supplies liquor - will have updated materials to give workers a clearer understanding of the law, including differences between sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Another recent revision updated guidance on drink spiking.
Staff will also be trained in how to respond when patrons report harassment, violence, and suspected drink spiking, including on how to connect them with support services.
Training for licensees has been updated to reflect employer obligations to prevent workplace sexual harassment.
"It's important for us to engage with people where they live, learn, work, socialise and play, including the hospitality sector," Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said.
"This training is one example of the work underway to change the beliefs and cultures that tolerate or condone violence."
The state's Women's Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said the changes are an important step to making spaces safer and more respectful.
"Everyone should feel confident that they'll be safe when they're socialising or working in a bar, club, restaurant or pub."
Sydney's after-dark economy was damaged by restrictive and since-repealed lockout laws beginning in 2013 following violent one-punch deaths in nightlife precincts.
The COVID-19 pandemic also severely impacted the hospitality sector, and changing residential demographics in some areas prompted noise and other complaints affecting venues.
The state has established special entertainment precincts with extended trading hours and looser noise controls as part of "vibrancy reforms".
People buying property in some areas will have to acknowledge the potential for noise in a bid to limit conflict between established venues and new neighbours.
Enmore Road in the city's inner west was the first area declared a special entertainment precinct with the council considering additional areas.
Further west, Burwood and Fairfield councils have received grants to begin a trial of precincts by the end of 2025.
A regional trial is also planned in Byron Bay in the state's north.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Making venues safer for workers and patrons alike is part of efforts to reinvigorate a major city's ailing nightlife with mandates for venue staff to undergo training around sexual harassment and violence prevention.
Training provided as part of Responsible Service of Alcohol accreditations follow several recent scandals engulfing major players in Sydney's hospitality industry and re-evaluation of its hard-partying reputation.
The changes ensure workers are better equipped to care for customers and colleagues with ambitions to make the state a global gold-standard for nightlife and entertainment, NSW Night-Time Economy Minister John Graham said.
"That only happens if our venues are safe, welcoming and respectful for everyone who walks through the door.
"The updated RSA training course gives hospitality staff real-world tools and guidance needed to step in, defuse trouble and assist their patrons when it counts."
RSA training - mandatory for anyone who sells, serves or supplies liquor - will have updated materials to give workers a clearer understanding of the law, including differences between sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Another recent revision updated guidance on drink spiking.
Staff will also be trained in how to respond when patrons report harassment, violence, and suspected drink spiking, including on how to connect them with support services.
Training for licensees has been updated to reflect employer obligations to prevent workplace sexual harassment.
"It's important for us to engage with people where they live, learn, work, socialise and play, including the hospitality sector," Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said.
"This training is one example of the work underway to change the beliefs and cultures that tolerate or condone violence."
The state's Women's Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said the changes are an important step to making spaces safer and more respectful.
"Everyone should feel confident that they'll be safe when they're socialising or working in a bar, club, restaurant or pub."
Sydney's after-dark economy was damaged by restrictive and since-repealed lockout laws beginning in 2013 following violent one-punch deaths in nightlife precincts.
The COVID-19 pandemic also severely impacted the hospitality sector, and changing residential demographics in some areas prompted noise and other complaints affecting venues.
The state has established special entertainment precincts with extended trading hours and looser noise controls as part of "vibrancy reforms".
People buying property in some areas will have to acknowledge the potential for noise in a bid to limit conflict between established venues and new neighbours.
Enmore Road in the city's inner west was the first area declared a special entertainment precinct with the council considering additional areas.
Further west, Burwood and Fairfield councils have received grants to begin a trial of precincts by the end of 2025.
A regional trial is also planned in Byron Bay in the state's north.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Making venues safer for workers and patrons alike is part of efforts to reinvigorate a major city's ailing nightlife with mandates for venue staff to undergo training around sexual harassment and violence prevention.
Training provided as part of Responsible Service of Alcohol accreditations follow several recent scandals engulfing major players in Sydney's hospitality industry and re-evaluation of its hard-partying reputation.
The changes ensure workers are better equipped to care for customers and colleagues with ambitions to make the state a global gold-standard for nightlife and entertainment, NSW Night-Time Economy Minister John Graham said.
"That only happens if our venues are safe, welcoming and respectful for everyone who walks through the door.
"The updated RSA training course gives hospitality staff real-world tools and guidance needed to step in, defuse trouble and assist their patrons when it counts."
RSA training - mandatory for anyone who sells, serves or supplies liquor - will have updated materials to give workers a clearer understanding of the law, including differences between sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Another recent revision updated guidance on drink spiking.
Staff will also be trained in how to respond when patrons report harassment, violence, and suspected drink spiking, including on how to connect them with support services.
Training for licensees has been updated to reflect employer obligations to prevent workplace sexual harassment.
"It's important for us to engage with people where they live, learn, work, socialise and play, including the hospitality sector," Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said.
"This training is one example of the work underway to change the beliefs and cultures that tolerate or condone violence."
The state's Women's Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said the changes are an important step to making spaces safer and more respectful.
"Everyone should feel confident that they'll be safe when they're socialising or working in a bar, club, restaurant or pub."
Sydney's after-dark economy was damaged by restrictive and since-repealed lockout laws beginning in 2013 following violent one-punch deaths in nightlife precincts.
The COVID-19 pandemic also severely impacted the hospitality sector, and changing residential demographics in some areas prompted noise and other complaints affecting venues.
The state has established special entertainment precincts with extended trading hours and looser noise controls as part of "vibrancy reforms".
People buying property in some areas will have to acknowledge the potential for noise in a bid to limit conflict between established venues and new neighbours.
Enmore Road in the city's inner west was the first area declared a special entertainment precinct with the council considering additional areas.
Further west, Burwood and Fairfield councils have received grants to begin a trial of precincts by the end of 2025.
A regional trial is also planned in Byron Bay in the state's north.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Making venues safer for workers and patrons alike is part of efforts to reinvigorate a major city's ailing nightlife with mandates for venue staff to undergo training around sexual harassment and violence prevention.
Training provided as part of Responsible Service of Alcohol accreditations follow several recent scandals engulfing major players in Sydney's hospitality industry and re-evaluation of its hard-partying reputation.
The changes ensure workers are better equipped to care for customers and colleagues with ambitions to make the state a global gold-standard for nightlife and entertainment, NSW Night-Time Economy Minister John Graham said.
"That only happens if our venues are safe, welcoming and respectful for everyone who walks through the door.
"The updated RSA training course gives hospitality staff real-world tools and guidance needed to step in, defuse trouble and assist their patrons when it counts."
RSA training - mandatory for anyone who sells, serves or supplies liquor - will have updated materials to give workers a clearer understanding of the law, including differences between sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Another recent revision updated guidance on drink spiking.
Staff will also be trained in how to respond when patrons report harassment, violence, and suspected drink spiking, including on how to connect them with support services.
Training for licensees has been updated to reflect employer obligations to prevent workplace sexual harassment.
"It's important for us to engage with people where they live, learn, work, socialise and play, including the hospitality sector," Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said.
"This training is one example of the work underway to change the beliefs and cultures that tolerate or condone violence."
The state's Women's Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said the changes are an important step to making spaces safer and more respectful.
"Everyone should feel confident that they'll be safe when they're socialising or working in a bar, club, restaurant or pub."
Sydney's after-dark economy was damaged by restrictive and since-repealed lockout laws beginning in 2013 following violent one-punch deaths in nightlife precincts.
The COVID-19 pandemic also severely impacted the hospitality sector, and changing residential demographics in some areas prompted noise and other complaints affecting venues.
The state has established special entertainment precincts with extended trading hours and looser noise controls as part of "vibrancy reforms".
People buying property in some areas will have to acknowledge the potential for noise in a bid to limit conflict between established venues and new neighbours.
Enmore Road in the city's inner west was the first area declared a special entertainment precinct with the council considering additional areas.
Further west, Burwood and Fairfield councils have received grants to begin a trial of precincts by the end of 2025.
A regional trial is also planned in Byron Bay in the state's north.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US axes mRNA vaccine contracts, casting safety doubts
US axes mRNA vaccine contracts, casting safety doubts

The Australian

time3 hours ago

  • The Australian

US axes mRNA vaccine contracts, casting safety doubts

President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday announced it would terminate 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines, questioning the safety of a technology credited with helping end the Covid pandemic and saving millions of lives. The announcement, made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., marks his latest effort to weave vaccine skepticism into the core of US government policy. "We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted," Kennedy said in a statement. The health department's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is "terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu," he added. "We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate." The changes affect Moderna's mRNA bird flu vaccine -- a move the company itself disclosed in May -- as well as numerous other programs, including "rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations" from pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Sanofi. In total, the affected projects are worth "nearly $500 million," the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said. Certain late-stage projects were excluded from the move "to preserve prior taxpayer investment." "Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them," Secretary Kennedy said. "That's why we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions." Since taking office, Kennedy, who spent two decades sowing misinformation around immunization, has overseen a major overhaul of US health policy -- firing, for example, a panel of vaccine experts that advise the government and replacing them with his own appointees. In its first meeting, the new panel promptly voted to ban a longstanding vaccine preservative targeted by the anti-vaccine movement, despite its strong safety record. He has also ordered a sweeping new study on the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism. Unlike traditional vaccines, which often use weakened or inactivated forms of the target virus or bacteria, mRNA shots deliver genetic instructions into the host's cells, prompting them to produce a harmless decoy of the pathogen and train the immune system to fight the real thing. Though in development for decades, mRNA vaccines were propelled from lab benches to widespread use through President Trump's Operation Warp Speed -- a public-private partnership led by BARDA that poured billions into companies to accelerate development. The technology's pioneers, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work contributing "to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times." ia/jgc

Chikungunya virus ripping through China prompts COVID-style quarantine response
Chikungunya virus ripping through China prompts COVID-style quarantine response

7NEWS

timea day ago

  • 7NEWS

Chikungunya virus ripping through China prompts COVID-style quarantine response

A mosquito-borne virus spreading in parts of southeast China is triggering a COVID-style response there. Cases of the mosquito-borne virus chikungunya have spiked to more than 10,000 in the country, with more than 7000 of those reported in Foshun, in the southeast Guangdong Province. People who contract the virus in Foshun are being quarantined in hospital for a week, or until they test negative for chikungunya. Sanitation workers have also been seen spraying insecticide through outbreak areas and cleaning up green spaces in the Guangdong Province. 'If you have chikungunya, it is important to avoid mosquito bites while you have a fever ... because you could pass the infection on to the mosquito, which can then spread the virus to other people,' according to Health Direct. Chikungunya symptoms 'can be very similar to dengue fever' and the two viruses are also carried by the same type of mosquitoes, according to the NT Government. Fever, joint pain, nausea, fatigue and rashes are the most common symptoms of chikungunya virus — but, in rare cases, life-threatening complications of the brain and heart can develop. Most symptoms of the virus generally disappear within two weeks, however joint pain has reportedly persisted in some patients for years after they have contracted the virus. The virus is more serious for newborn babies, people older than 65, and people with a high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart conditions, according to Health Direct. The virus is not endemic in Australia but there is the potential for it to exist 'There have been no locally acquired cases, though mosquitoes capable of spreading the virus are present in some areas of Queensland,' according to the Australian Department of Health. 'Travellers can become infected with the chikungunya virus if travelling to a region of the world where chikungunya is found.' In the US, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention is advising travellers to wear long clothing and insect repellant, and to vaccinate against the virus if heading to outbreak areas. But there is no approved vaccine to prevent against chikungunya in Australia, according to Health Direct. Last year, there were 200 travel-related cases of chikungunya in the US. — With NBC

Chikungunya virus: Alarming surge in Chinese cases sparks global concern
Chikungunya virus: Alarming surge in Chinese cases sparks global concern

Mercury

timea day ago

  • Mercury

Chikungunya virus: Alarming surge in Chinese cases sparks global concern

There are fears a potentially deadly virus that has surged in China and spread to Hong Kong could explode globally. More than 7000 chikungunya virus infections have been reported in the city Foshan, leading to mass hospital quarantines and other measures similar to those taken during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nearly 3000 new cases have been reported in at least 12 other cities in Guangdong just over the past week, bringing the total to more than 10,000 in the country. Hong Kong confirmed its first case of the virus on Monday, a 12-year-old boy who developed symptoms after visiting Foshan in July. Here's what you need to know about the disease: HOW IS THE VIRUS TRANSMITTED? Chikungunya is caused by a virus carried by infected mosquitoes – including the Dengue mosquito and the Asian Tiger mosquito. The mosquito contracts the virus when it bites someone with chikungunya, it can then pass it on to other people it bites a few days later, according to healthdirect. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE VIRUS? Symptoms usually manifest within three to seven days after a bite from an infected mosquito, but it can take up to 12 days, according to healthdirect. Common symptoms include joint pain, joint swelling and stiffness, and fever. Other symptoms can include muscle pain, headache, a rash, nausea, and tiredness. HOW LONG DOES THE VIRUS LAST? Most people fully recover within one to two weeks, although some may have symptoms such as joint pain and tiredness for several months or even years, according to healthdirect. Deaths are rare, but some severe complications involving the heart and nervous system do occasionally occur – especially in older people affected by other health conditions. IS THE VIRUS CURABLE? There is no specific cure for chikungunya, but anti-inflammatory medicines, paracetamol, or acetaminophen, are used to address symptoms by providing pain relief and reducing fever, according to the World Health Organisation. SHOULD AUSTRALIA BE CONCERNED? Chikungunya is recognised as a nationally notifiable mosquito-borne disease in Australia, but there are no local reports of transmission, according to a Department of Health, Disability and Ageing spokesperson. They also stated: *Human cases of mosquito-borne illness are monitored using the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). *The infection is regularly reported in travellers returning from overseas. *Chikungunya is primarily transmitted by vectors Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti established in some parts of the Torres Strait and Australia. Ongoing public health and vector control measures by state and territory jurisdictions include follow-up of notifications in humans, surveillance and control of Ae. Albopictus and Ae. Aegypti in parts of the Torres Strait and mainland Australia. *The interim Australian CDC continues to monitor mosquito-borne diseases in countries geographically close to Australia and those frequently visited by Australian residents. *It also actively tracks current international outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya in China. While assuring that the chance of an outbreak in Australia was 'low', ANU infectious diseases specialist Dr Sanjaya Senanayake said there were concerns around the Aedes mosquito in northern Australia. 'It is possible for someone carrying the Chikungunya virus in their blood to arrive in central or northern Queensland from overseas, get bitten by an Aedes mosquito here, which in turn causes a case of Chikungunya in a local, who hasn't left Australia,' Dr Senanayake told 'This happens sometimes with dengue outbreaks (another virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, where the virus itself isn't endemic to Australia).' HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE THE VIRUS? If you feel unwell and have a fever after travelling to a tropical area, it is best to see your doctor if you have symptoms of chikungunya or if you are concerned, according to healthdirect. Your doctor can then examine you and perform a blood test to confirm if you have the disease. Symptoms can be similar to many other mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus – so the blood test is key to diagnosis. WHAT IS THE TRAVEL ADVICE FOR CHINA? The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 2 travel notice for those going to China. The notice advices travellers to 'practice enhanced precautions' and urged them to get vaccinated before going. While a vaccine called Ixchiq has been approved in the United States, it is not yet available in Australia. The main preventive measure for Australians is to avoid mosquito bites when travelling to regions where chikungunya is prevalent. HOW IS CHINA ADDRESSING THE OUTBREAK? Chinese soldiers are treating public spaces with insecticides and 'elephant mosquitoes' who's larvae can eat the infected mosquitoes larvae have been released. Mosquito-eating fish have also been released into Foshan's public ponds to address the mosquito population. Originally published as Chikungunya virus: Alarming surge in Chinese cases sparks global concern

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store