Latest news with #dutyOfCare
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Stan Grant launches an explosive attack on the ABC
Stan Grant has revealed his deep 'sadness' over how the ABC failed in its 'duty of care' to him when he and his family were the target of relentless racist abuse and death threats. The veteran broadcaster and journalist also shared his thoughts on the failure of the Voice referendum, the future of treaties in Australia and the recent boing of the Welcome to Country ceremony at the Melbourne ANZAC Day dawn service in a wide-ranging and nuanced interview with TVNZ's Jack Tame. Grant, 61, quit his role as host of the ABC's Q+A in May 2023 after being subjected to 'relentless racial filth'. In a parting shot, he accused the ABC of 'institutional failure' over how he was treated when he was being bombarded with abuse during the Voice referendum. 'I became a target, my family became a target and the level of abuse just grew louder and louder and louder,' he said. 'Being misrepresented, hateful comments made to me, my wife, my children, my parents. And death threats against us. And a person arrested and charged. 'And throughout it all, I have to say with some sadness, a failure on the part of my employer to handle that and to be able to show proper duty of care to someone in my position who was exposed in ways that I couldn't control.' Grant said his decision to quit was to protect his family and his own sanity. But he insisted he held no one at the ABC personally responsible. 'I didn't feel protected and supported as I should have done with my employer. I don't necessarily blame them,' he added. 'I think they were swimming in waters that were far too deep for them.' After leaving the ABC, Grant said he retreated into Yindyamarra, an Aboriginal philosophy encompassing respect and sitting in silence as a way of trying to understand others and the world around you. The period of deep contemplation allowed him to change how he viewed the failure of the Voice referendum. 'There was something existential about this vote for us as Aboriginal people,' he said. 'It wasn't just a constitutional amendment, it felt like a vote on us. Inevitably, it does. 'We live in a country where we are three percent of the population. We are the most disadvantaged people, we are the most impoverished, we are the most imprisoned. 'We come out of very hard history. And that's almost unknowable to many Australians because Australia is a postcard, and it's beautiful, and it's rich and it's successful, and it's multicultural and it's peaceful. And they're phenomenal achievements.' He said he now saw the Voice as a a 'political failure, rather than a moral failure'. Grant also praised New Zealand for its approach to reconciliation with the Maori people. 'It's interesting being in New Zealand and the ease people move in out of the shared space. 'You know that you are in a place that is founded on something that is very vertical, very deep and very shared - contested, yes and not evenly distributed - and I think the treaty goes a long way to that,' he said. He was referencing the Treaty of Waitangi, the foundational document in New Zealand's history which established a relationship between the Maori and the British Crown. 'Australia doesn't have that. We don't have treaties. We don't have a constitutional recognition,' Grant said. 'There is still the overhang of Terra Nullius (meaning 'nobody's land' in Latin) that it was claimed because we simply weren't there in a legal sense. They are existential wounds that we have no dealt with.' Grant said that he was faced with a choice between having to 'imagine the Australia that I want or live in the Australia that I have'. 'To imagine a treaty, the likes of which you have here (in New Zealand), in the Australian context is just not possible. We are not made that way.' 'I navigate this now as more of a question of The Voice being a political failure rather than a moral failure.' Grant was also asked about the ugly scenes during the ANZAC Day dawn service in Melbourne where the air of reverence was broken during Bunurong elder Mark Brown's Welcome to Country, when loud heckles and boos threatened to drown him out. 'The wonderful thing about that is that the people who applauded the welcome and showed respect, far outweighed the small number of neo-Nazis, which is what they are, who had booed that Welcome,' Grant said. He said his immediate, gut reaction was to think 'Australia hates us' but his considered response allowed him to realise those who opposed the booing far outweighed the minority who were doing it. But he criticised Peter Dutton for trying to score political points by seizing on the national discussion to say he thought Welcome to Country ceremonies were sometimes 'overdone'. He accused the former Opposition Leader of a 'moral failure'. To take that and land that in the midst of a culture war where once again Aboriginal people were a political football and it backfired.' He added: 'The conservative side of politics sought to inflict a moral injury out of what was a very hateful act from a very small number of people.' Grant went further, claiming that opposition and criticism of Welcome to Country ceremonies was actually a 'failure of Conservatism'. 'What deeper conservative tradition could there be than a Welcome to Country that is thousands of years old? That is joined with an ANZAC service that is a solemn acknowledgment of sacrifice for the greater good,' he said. 'And to put those two beautiful traditions together creates a sacred space that we can all share in and any decent conservatism would seek to preserve that as a common good.' Grant also turned his sights on the media in general, which he claims is responsible for 'generating conflict and polarising debate'. 'I really had to confront what I was doing and what I saw, I thought, in the complicity of media in the conflicts of our age,' he said of his decision to quit the public broadcaster. 'I started to see that the media in many ways was the poison in the bloodstream of our society.' Since he quit the ABC two years ago, Grant has written a book about the failure of the Voice called Murriyang: Song of Time and has served as the Vice Chancellor's Chair of Australian-Indigenous Belonging at Charles Sturt University.
Travel Daily News
15-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
8 in 10 business travelers engage in riskier behaviors on the road than at home
79% of business travelers take risks abroad they avoid at home, highlighting employer responsibility for safety education and duty of care compliance. NEW YORK – A new survey of global business travelers* reveals a significant majority, 79%, are engaging in risky behaviors they wouldn't consider at home – raising concerns about personal safety on work trips and the responsibility of employers to uphold their duty of care. The data has been released as part of global travel risk management company World Travel Protection's annual survey of business traveler sentiment, and serves as a reminder to businesses to ensure their employees are making safe choices while traveling for work. According to the survey, eight in 10 (79%) of business travelers say they engage in behaviors on a work trip that they wouldn't normally, including gambling or using illicit substances, getting into a car with a stranger, and ignoring local safety advice. Only 20% of respondents say they behave in the same way on the road as they would at home. Younger business travelers, those just entering the workforce or early in their careers, are especially prone to taking chances, often in ways that increase personal risk. Travelers under 34 are nearly four times more likely than older colleagues (55+) to ignore health advice such as drinking tap water or eating at questionable venues; they are also more likely to ride motorbikes and electric scooters, and engage in other risky recreational activities. In contrast, older business travelers (55+) are far more likely to stick to their usual habits, with four in 10 (42%) stating they don't behave any differently while traveling, compared to just 15% of those under 34. 'While engaging in these kinds of risky behaviors may seem fun at the time, they not only endanger the traveler but also place employers in a challenging position,' said Frank Harrison, Regional Security Director, Americas, World Travel Protection. 'This data is a reminder of companies' legal and moral obligation to ensure the safety of traveling employees, or what we refer to as duty of care. Failing to uphold this obligation can carry serious legal consequences.' The increasingly volatile travel climate has reinvigorated a discussion among business leaders about how to identify and mitigate the many unique risks associated with work travel. These include risks associated with the journey itself, as well as how employees behave when they reach their destination. 'Before they travel, employers should educate employees on local risks, help them plan ahead, and make sure they're prepared to make safe decisions while on the road,' added Harrison. The Data: Top Risky Behaviors of Business Travelers The survey captured specific behaviors that illustrate how business travelers act differently when they're away from home – often in ways that increase personal risk. Notably, employees aged 18-34 were more likely to report taking these chances. Getting into a car with a new friend or stranger: Two in 10 (20%) business travelers report doing this, with 22% of those under 34, compared to just 10% of those over 55. Venturing out without informing anyone of location and/or plans: Almost two in 10 (18%) of all business travelers report doing this. Riding an electric scooter, motorbike, or electric bike: One in seven (16%) of business travelers report doing this, with 21% of respondents under 34 admitting to it, compared to just 7% of those over-55. Ignoring health precautions (like drinking tap water or eating at questionable venues / street food vendors): One in seven (15%) business travelers admit to this, with 18% of those under 34 but only 5% of those over 55. Engaging in risky recreational activities (e.g., gambling, taking illicit substances): One in seven business travelers (14%) admit to this. Those under 34 are almost twice as likely to say they gamble or take drugs on work trips compared to respondents over 55 (15% vs 8%). Ignoring local safety advice or guidelines: One in 10 business travelers (11%) say they do this, dropping to 4% among travelers over 55. Changing their behaviors while traveling: Only 15% of under 34s say they don't do anything differently when travelling for work, compared to 42% of those over 55 – who tend to play it safe. US business travellers were slightly more prone to taking risks, vs their counterparts in the UK, Australia and Canada. Looking Ahead Understanding that the safety of a business trip is influenced by the traveler's profile, the destination, and the activities they engage in, it is essential for employers to empower their employees with knowledge about potential risks before departure. By providing tailored information and preparing travelers for the specific challenges they may face, companies can significantly mitigate risks and uphold their duty of care obligations and keep their employees healthy and safe. Opinium online survey conducted with 2000 people, who travel for business at least once a year in each of the the UK (500 respondents), the United States (500 respondents), Canada (500 respondents) and Australia (500 respondents), from 3 – 10 February 2025.
