The Case

WorkSafe Victoria v Whitelom Investments Pty Ltd (in liquidation) (2023)

Whitelom Investments Pty Ltd (in liquidation) (Whitelom) was the franchisee managing a Hudson’s café in Box Hill.

In April 2021, WorkSafe Victoria received a complaint about persistent sexual harassment by a former manager at the café. Subsequently, numerous former employees made statements, attesting to having experienced and/or witnessed sexual harassment by the former manager.

The WorkSafe investigation found six workers, aged as young as 16, who were sexually harassed by the former manager, and witnessed other staff being harassed.