Key points:
- Members of the Champions of Change Insurance Group have today announced Everyday Respect Starts With Us, an industry-wide public commitment to clear and consistent standards for respectful conduct across all professional interactions. The initiative recognises the critical role workplaces play in promoting respectful behaviour among employees, customers, partners and communities.
- Everyday Respect Starts With Us builds on the Coalition’s FOCUSED on Everyday Respect framework and introduces RESPOND: Acting on Everyday Disrespect, a practical model to guide early, safe and constructive action when behaviour crosses the line.
- A suite of practical resources is freely available for insurers, brokers, suppliers and partners to embed respectful conduct into governance, systems and everyday significant gaps remain in how organisations prevent harm and respond early. Industry leaders say a clearer, shared professional standard is needed to strengthen trust, safety and accountability.
Members of the Champions of Change Insurance Group have today announced Everyday Respect Starts With Us, an industry-wide commitment to clear and consistent standards for respectful conduct across all professional interactions.
The initiative reflects the changing expectations of leadership and the increasingly visible role workplaces play in shaping behaviour, safety and trust. It is supported by practical resources developed by Champions of Change to help organisations embed these standards in governance, systems and everyday practice.
CEO of QBE Australia Pacific and Member of the Champions of Change Insurance Group Sue Houghton said:
“As insurers, our role is to help protect people from risk, and that responsibility must extend first and foremost in our own workplaces. This initiative is about setting consistent expectations for conduct and equipping our people to take action when things don’t feel right.”
Two years on from the introduction of the Respect@Work reforms, many organisations are still working to translate legal obligations into everyday practice. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s One Year Strong report found that while 95% of businesses now have processes to manage incidents, board engagement and early intervention remain inconsistent, and under-reporting persists.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr. Anna Cody said:
“The Respect@Work reforms created a positive duty for organisations to prevent harassment and discrimination, not just respond when harm occurs. We are seeing progress, but also clear gaps. Boards are not yet consistently engaged, and too many workers still don’t feel safe to speak up.
“The real challenge is to make processes accessible, responses person-centred, and culture change visible. That requires actively engaging and including all workers — across diverse backgrounds, identities and roles — in shaping safer workplaces. RESPOND: Acting on Everyday Disrespect provides leaders and employees with practical tools to meet these obligations and strengthen workplace culture.”
The cost of failing to act is high. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work report found that sexual harassment alone costs the Australian economy an estimated $3.8 billion each year, while a 2024 report from Safe Work Australia revealed psychosocial risks such as bullying, exclusion and work-related stress account for one-third of all mental health-related workers’ compensation claims, averaging nearly $30,000 per claim.
Everyday Respect Starts With Us builds on the Coalition’s FOCUSED on Everyday Respect framework, launched in 2024, which defines what respectful conduct looks like in practice and supports leaders to set clear expectations. This next phase introduces RESPOND: Acting on Everyday Disrespect, a practical guide to support early, safe and constructive action when behaviour doesn’t look, sound or feel right. Resources available to insurance organisations include:
- FOCUSED on Everyday Respect – guidance on everyday behaviours and leadership actions that help prevent harm and set clear expectations for respectful conduct.
- RESPOND: Acting on Everyday Disrespect – a practical guide to support early, safe and constructive action when behaviour does not meet expected standards.
- Supporting templates and resources – for leaders, employees and industry partners to embed respectful conduct into policies, contracts, events and daily practice.
Incoming Convenor of the Champions of Change Insurance Group Kristen Hilton said the initiative reflects the willingness of leaders to work together on challenges that extend beyond individual organisations.
“Workplaces bring people from many different backgrounds together. When they are well led, they can set clear expectations about respect and how people treat one another.
“We are not suggesting we have everything solved. But being clear about what respectful behaviour looks like, and providing a safe and consistent way to respond when standards are not met, is an important step.
“This is a time for strengthening cultures of respect across our workplaces and the industries and communities we help shape.”
The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed the industry’s leadership. The Champions of Change Insurance Group is now inviting other organisations across the industry, including insurers, brokers, suppliers and partners, to adopt or adapt the resources and join this shared commitment.
Access the toolkit and campaign resources: championsofchangecoalition.org/resource/everyday-respect-starts-with-us
For more information, please contact:
Rita Zonius, Communications Director, Champions of Change Coalition
m: 0434 608 829 e: rita.zonius@championsofchangecoalition.org
About Champions of Change Coalition:
Champions of Change Coalition includes CEOs, Secretaries of Government Departments, Non-Executive Directors, and community leaders who believe gender equality is a major business, economic, societal, and human rights issue. Established in 2010 by Australia’s then Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick AO, the Coalition is today globally recognised as a leadership strategy that drives progress on gender balance, respectful workplaces, and inclusive gender equality in decisions and design processes. 2025 marks 15 years of Champions of Change Coalition, a milestone that reflects our shared commitment to bold leadership and sustained action on gender equality across workplaces, sectors and society. Together, the Coalition’s Members represent more than 800,000 employees across every major sector. Our goal is to achieve inclusive gender equality across workplaces by 2030.