Three years. That’s how long it’s been since the #MeToo rallying cry became a global movement – a collective howl from the women of the world that enough was enough.
And yet to watch the sad and messy saga of AMP Capital unfold, where a man in a position of power – Boe Pahari – was accused of harassing a female subordinate – Julia Szlakowski – and to see that company wrestle with the issue and get its response so utterly wrong, was, for many, a moment of depressing and dejected déjà-vu.
“The whole thing followed a dispiritingly familiar path, which is that the woman makes the complaint, and that’s mucked up in the beginning, there’s ducking and covering, and she writes a formal complaint, and a period of time goes by before it’s actually dealt with. And then when it’s dealt with, she ends up leaving. She’s the one who ends up out of the organisation. There’s a financial penalty for the person she’s made the accusations against, but he remains,” says Virginia Trioli, host of ABC Radio's Melbourne morning program and author of Generation F: Why We Still Struggle With Sex and Power. “It’s a pattern that’s followed again and again.”
Julia Szlakowski and AMP Capital's Boe Pahari.Credit:
The most common solution in such scenarios, Trioli points out, is this kind of “nuclear” one – destroying or damaging two lives, and sometimes more.
Former High Court judge Dyson Heydon.Credit: AAP
Jacqueline Maley, a columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age – who along with investigative reporter Kate McClymont broke the story of Dyson Heydon’s sexual harassment of women on his way to, and after, becoming a High Court judge – saw something similar in her reporting. Organisations simply need to find a better method for intervention and resolution, says Maley, and to place far more value on the simple apology.
“It’s a really, really basic need,” says Maley. “I’ve never spoken to a woman who has said, ‘I will not rest until this guy loses his job, and his family and reputation and home.’ What they want is a very, very human thing: acknowledgement of the harm and hurt that was caused to them. A sincere apology, and some form of restitution.”
Maley and Trioli explore sex and power – with moderation by Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland – for the latest episode of Good Weekend Talks. The podcast takes a deep dive into the definitive stories of the day, and this week reflects on what has changed (or stayed the same) since a Good Weekend cover story by Trioli – "We keep men’s secrets" – printed in November 2019.
The podcast looks at everything from the emotional burden – including both the labour and the guilt – that women carry either by their silence or their complaint, to the way organisational systems are designed to bury truths – from non-disclosure agreements to forced mediation.
Trioli recalls a prescient message (and warning) delivered at a Brisbane conference on women in media by employment lawyer John Laxton: “He dolefully looked out at the assembled crowd and said, ‘I’m really sorry, but HR is not your friend’,” Trioli says. “Because HR’s immediate response is, make this go away … Just get rid of it, get rid of it, get rid of it. 'How much to shut you up? How much to get you out?’”
There are some positive elements at play, however, from the number of women in positions of power, to modern investors who know their profits can be dealt a serious blow when a company mismanages an untidy episode. One of the most powerful agents of change, notes Maley, could be technological.
We’ve all seen how video of the murder of George Floyd was enough to spawn the global Black Lives Matter campaign, or how a “Karen” reporting a black birdwatcher to police in New York’s Central Park went viral.
The smartphone, with its ability to send (and save) explicit pictures and lurid messages – incontrovertible evidence, with a time stamp no less – is a game-changer in this space. “There’s more of a digital trail that can corroborate things,” says Maley. “A 'dick pic' is probably an easier thing to prove than an allegation of ‘He exposed himself to me in the office’."
For more good reading, see Saturday's Good Weekend, or visit The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.
Listen to more episodes by subscribing to Good Weekend Talks wherever you get your podcasts.