Former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick will lead a review into the safety and wellbeing of Queensland’s frontline health workers, including sexual assault policies.

The government has pledged a comprehensive review of Queensland Health’s workplace protection policies and procedures, and an investigation how they are being applied frontline hospital staff.

It comes as the government takes action to make Queensland Health a model employer, including education on preventing and responding to workplace sexual harassment, and the release of a new safety, wellbeing and mental health policy and framework for the state’s health workforce.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman says she’s looking forward to seeing the recommendations from Ms Broderick’s review.

“There is no place for sexual harassment or sexual assault in our communities, our workplaces, and especially in our hospitals,” she said in a statement.

“We want all Queenslanders to feel safe in their workplace and supported appropriately when reporting harassment.

“That’s why we’re launching a thorough and transparent examination into the sexual safety of our frontline health workforce, to ensure we have the safest workforce possible.”

The Courier Mail reported in January that public hospital workers were experiencing an average of nearly 40 incidents a day across the state.

Queensland Health data revealed there had been 14,122 incidents in 2022-23 – or nearly 40 a day across 16 hospital and health services and the department, the Mail reported.

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