Kate Jenkins (born 1968) has been the Sex Discrimination Commissioner at the

Australian Human Rights Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but oper ...

since 2016. Previously, she was Commissioner at the

Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission is a statutory authority in the Australian state of Victoria. It replaced the Equal Opportunity Board , set up by Victorian Premier The premier of Victoria is the head of govern ...

. Jenkins is also on the Board of

Berry Street Berry Street is an independent Community Service Organisation and Australian charity. Established in 1877, protecting and caring for children has been the common thread throughout their history. Berry Street’s vision is that all children have a ...

Victoria – the state's largest independent child and family welfare organisation – and a member of the boards of

Heide Museum of Modern Art The Heide Museum of Modern Art, also known as Heide, is an art museum in Bulleen, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1981, the museum houses modern and contemporary art across three distinct exhibition buildings and is ...

and

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of ...

. In January 2020, Jenkins handed to the

Morrison government The Morrison government was the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn ...

her ''

Respect@Work The Sex Discrimination Commissioner is an Australian federal government position established to oversee the operation of the '' Sex Discrimination Act 1984''. The position was created alongside the Act as one of the specialist commissioners of the ...

'' report, described by the ABC as “a landmark national inquiry into sexual harassment in workplaces by the Australian Human Rights Commission”. In November of 2021, Jenkins lead
review
of the Parliament House's workplace culture following the

2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations In February and March 2021, a number of allegations involving rape and other sexual misconduct against women involving the Australian Parliament and federal politicians were raised, causing controversy especially for the federal Liberal-Nationa ...

. Alongside former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, both called out the Australian Parliament House for various cases of misconduct.

Law career

Before accepting the role of Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner, Jenkins was the lead equal opportunity partner at

Herbert Smith Freehills Herbert Smith Freehills is an international law firm with headquarters in London, United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off t ...

'. There, she led the firm’s Melbourne Women in Business group for more than a decade and was the lead employment partner in the firm’s pro bono community program.

Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission

Jenkins is the convener of the Victorian Male Champions of Change, the Chair of the Independent Review into sex discrimination and sexual harassment, including predatory behaviour in

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victoria Police had over 22,300 staff, comprising over 16,700 ...

and the Co-Chair of Play by the Rules. She is also the Co-Chair of the Commission’s Disability Reference Group and a member of the Aboriginal Justice Forum. She was recognised in the

Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New S ...

and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards for 2015 for her contribution in addressing equal opportunity and human rights issues in Victoria. In October 2015 Jenkins was appointed to the board of

, where she has promised to work towards creating a female team for the upcoming women's AFL competition. Jenkins was a signatory to a statement by the Australian Council of Human Rights Authorities defending the independence and supporting the work of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Kate 1968 births Living people 20th-century Australian lawyers Carlton Football Club administrators Australian women lawyers University of Melbourne alumni Melbourne Law School alumni 21st-century Australian lawyers