Education and policy page 6 of 11

The Federal Government has settled claims from three of the six associates sexually harassed in the workplace by former High Court judge Dyson Heydon.

The religious discrimination bills now look unlikely to pass before the expected May election, after the Senate delayed debate until Parliament resumes next month.

Two high-profile advocates for survivors of sexual assault and abuse, Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame, have called for imposition of a positive duty on employers to prevent s-x discrimination, s-xual harassment and victimisation, ahead of the Government late this afternoon introducing legislation to implement two recommendations of the Jenkins report into parliamentary workplaces.

A senior Attorney-General's official has denied that the department failed to comply with its obligation to act with "honesty and integrity" when it asserted in the Religious Discrimination Bill's explanatory memorandum that the "statements of belief" provisions had no effect on other laws.

The newly-announced review of the 1973 Maternity Leave Act provides an opportunity for the Federal Government to resume its role as a pacesetter, according to Sydney University's Professor Marian Baird.

The head of Victoria's Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission has urged all employers to heed the insights gained from the agency's year-long review of the State's ambulance service, which confirmed a workplace culture of "everyday" disrespect and sexism and recommends establishing an internal 'equality and reform' team.

Resources giant BHP has told a WA parliamentary inquiry that it has terminated six employees for sexual assault and 48 for sexual harassment in its mining operations across the State over the past two years, while Rio Tinto has substantiated one sexual assault and 29 sexual harassment cases in its WA FIFO operations since the start of last year.

A Federal Circuit Court judge has resigned after an investigation substantiated allegations that he engaged in "sexualised" conduct towards two women - a court employee and a law student - while the court has revamped its judicial complaints system and engaged an eminent Harvard academic to train judicial officers and staff.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has promised to act on a report that found the protections for State ministerial staff against bullying and harassment are "unclear, ineffective and inadequate".

Former Victorian women's minister Mary Wooldridge is set to take over from Libby Lyons as head of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.