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Tracey Spicer and stars of stage and screen launch NOW initiative to combat sexual harassment

The woman behind the investigations into Don Burke and Craig McLachlan, veteran journalist Tracey Spicer, has partnered with over 30 stars of stage and screen to launch Australia’s answer to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.

The NOW initiative launched a crowdfunding campaign today with the aim of ending sexual harassment in all Australian workplaces, and is backed by the likes of Tina Arena, Deborah Mailman, Missy Higgins and Clare Bowditch. 

The time is now, says Tracey Spicer

NOW is described as a not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation for people across all industries who have been sexually harassed, assaulted or intimidated at work.

The project also has backing from Ella Hooper, Abby Earl, Melinda Schneider, Helen Dallimore, Sarah Blasko, Danielle Cormack, Mahalia Barnes, Michelle Law, Kate Miller-Heidke, Jenny Morris, Candy Bowers, Katie Noonan, Prinnie Stevens, and Zindzi Okenyo, with Ann Sherry acting as inaugural patron.

The initiative will undertake crowdfunding for a month before connecting survivors of workplace sexual harassment and indecent assault with counselling and legal support. NOW will also fund research and education programs, working with government, business, statutory authorities and the community, legal and health sectors to develop solutions for the future.

The organisation said one in two women and one in four men will be sexually harassed during their lifetime. The ‘Women and the Future of Work’ report, conducted by academics at Sydney University, reveals one-in-10 women are still being sexually harassed at work.

The NOW crowdfunding page is up and running

“Women of colour, those with a disability, and LGBTI people are particularly vulnerable,” Spicer said.

“NOW is more than a call for change. It’s the place people can have that crucial first conversation about what they’re going through. By connecting them to the support and advice they need, we’re also providing the strategies to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace for the next generation.”

Since October 2017, Spicer has been contacted by more than 1,500 people with #MeToo stories across a range of industries.

“We want to help those in Australia’s lowest-paid workplaces. At the moment, many simply don’t have a voice,” Spicer said.

 

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