More than 30 of Australia’s biggest stars have joined forces to launch NOW, inspired by #MeToo and #TimesUp.
Spearheaded by journalist Tracey Spicer AM, NOW is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation for people across all industries who have been sexually harassed, assaulted or intimidated.
Ann Sherry AO is NOW’s inaugural Patron, supported by Launch Ambassadors including Tina Arena, Deborah Mailman, Missy Higgins, Abby Earl, Melinda Schneider, Helen Dallimore, Sarah Blasko, Danielle Cormack, Mahalia Barnes, Michelle Law, Kate Miller-Heidke, Jenny Morris, Clare Bowditch, Candy Bowers, Katie Noonan, Prinnie Stevens, and Zindzi Okenyo.
“It’s a good time to turn awareness into action,” singer-songwriter Ella Hooper says.
After a month-long crowdfunding campaign and consultation period, NOW will connect survivors of workplace sexual harassment and indecent assault with the right 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.
“NOW is more than a call for change,” Spicer says. “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 1500 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.”
One in two women and one in four men has been sexually harassed in their lifetime, according to the recent ABS Personal Safety Survey. The ‘Women and the Future of Work’ report, conducted by academics at Sydney University, reveals one-in-10 women is still being sexually harassed at work. “Women of colour, those with a disability, and LGBTI people are particularly vulnerable,” Spicer says.
“The interesting thing about this is that sexual harassment is the front window,” broadcaster and producer Faustina Agolley says. “It’s about more than that, as well. It opens up a conversation about how do we dismantle discrimination, period?”
