Be the change you want to see in the world. It’s an easy sentiment to espouse, but few people walk the walk like activist Jamie Bucirde, the United Workers Union and not-for-profit What Were You Wearing.
After strong advocacy from a number of groups, South Australia is following NSW, which implemented mandatory sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention training for all hospitality staff and liquor licence holders in June 2025.
On Tuesday, the state government released a discussion paper to encourage consultation from the hospitality industry and other stakeholders – a standard step in policymaking. The paper opens with a statement from Andrea Michaels, the minister for consumer and business affairs.
“The hospitality industry is vital to the South Australian economy. It employs upwards of 26,000 staff … Multiple bodies of research have identified that approximately half of hospitality workers have experienced sexual harassment, assault or discrimination in the workplace … This review seeks your feedback on important proposals designed to improve safety in the hospitality industry, including mandatory training to help workers prevent and respond to instances of harassment, assault and discrimination at work,” Michaels’s statement said.
Jamie Bucirde – whose study Not So Hospitable was referenced in the discussion paper – spoke to Broadsheet about the new reforms.
Bucirde has long stressed the importance of bystander awareness training. It’s designed to teach people “how to intervene in a situation if it was deemed unsafe, and how to be an active bystander within social situations. It also teaches you how to recognize and respond to sexual harassment, [and] the legal stuff, so what your rights and responsibilities are as a hospitality worker, and where you can find reporting structures,” she says.
The move “shows the validity of [my] research [and] how important research like this is, especially when it comes from industry. I think that it also just shows that grassroots activism shows that people care, and if you stand up and you fight for what you believe in, you can make positive, active change. It just takes hard work and perseverance. I feel grateful that this research has been able to get into the hands of actual changemakers and policymakers.”
Submissions are open now and the government says training will be finalised by the end of year.
Hospitality advocate Jamie Bucirde shared a list of resources for anyone experiencing sexual harassment or abuse in the workplace.
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed above, the local resources below are available to you:
• Justice Net
• Working Women’s Centre – 1800 652 697
• Law Society – (08) 8229 0200
• Yarrow Place Rape & Sexual Assault Service – (08) 8161 7000
• Shine SA Sexual Healthline – 1300 883 793 or 1800 188 171
• Child Sexual Abuse Counselling Service, Relationships Australia South Australia – 1800 408 408
