Program
IAWBH2026 program
Our DRAFT scientific program is now available. The updated version will be available to registrants in the conference app closer to the conference. Some key program highlights are available below
Keynote Speaker
Elfi Baillien
Unifying the Puzzle: An Integrative Systemic Approach to Workplace Bullying and Harassment.
Elfi Baillien is Full Professor at the Department of Work and Organization Studies at KU Leuven, Belgium. Her research examines workplace bullying and harassment, focusing on their causes and development to inform effective interventions.
She has published extensively, serves as Associate Editor of Work & Stress, has secured national and international research grants, and is active in international research consortia on these topics.
Baillien attaches great importance to bridging science and practice. She co-developed the award-winning Combat Harassment Tool (CHAT), advises the Belgian Psychosocial Advisory Board, and directs the National Training for Prevention Advisors Psychosocial Aspects at Work.
Keynote Speaker
Tyler Okimoto
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Apology, forgiveness, and the tumultuous road to reconciliation
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When attempting to recover from a transgression like workplace bullying and harassment, we are often guided by a powerful cultural script about conflict repair: sincere apologies should produce forgiveness, forgiveness should restore relationships, and reconciliation should bring closure, wellbeing, and relationship harmony. Drawing on research in the psychology of justice and reconciliation, Prof. Tyler Okimoto challenges this common assumption, articulating why the apology-forgiveness script so often fails to bring closure, leaving people feeling stuck, ashamed, or morally unsettled. Reluctance to apologise, skepticism about sincerity, and unwillingness to forgive are not necessarily personal or relational failures—they are predictable responses to the psycho-social threats posed by injustice. By normalising these psychological barriers and illustrating how people can work to overcome them, this keynote invites us to reframe “failed” reconciliation as an expected consequence of an idealised normative script, challenging us to embrace more adaptive and iterative pathways through conflict.
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Professor Tyler Okimoto is Associate Dean (Academic) in the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law at the University of Queensland, Australia. His research focuses on social justice, ethical decision-making, and strategies for repairing trust and reducing conflict in organisations—critical issues for addressing workplace bullying and harassment. Tyler’s work examines how perceptions of fairness and leadership influence organisational responses to wrongdoing and the restoration of relationships after harm. A former President of the International Society for Justice Research, he has published extensively on justice, ethics, and organisational dynamics, with his research featured in leading journals and global media outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Tyler is also an award-winning educator and creator of UQ’s MicroMasters in Business Leadership, which has reached over 60,000 learners worldwide.
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Keynote Speaker
Anna Booth
Tackling workplace sexual harassment: The Fair Work Ombudsman’s regulatory approach and insights for practitioners
It has been over three years since the express prohibition of workplace sexual harassment under the Fair Work Act commenced, implementing a major recommendation of the landmark Respect@Work report. The prohibition was an important change in ensuring the right of every person to a safe workplace free of sexual harassment. In her keynote address, the Fair Work Ombudsman, Anna Booth, will explore the practical impact of these changes for workplace participants, outlining the FWO’s approach to regulating sexual harassment in the workplace and the FWO’s expanded role providing education on, investigating and enforcing the prohibition. Anna will also provide insights for practitioners to help workers and businesses understand their rights and obligations and manage workplace sexual harassment.
Anna Booth commenced her 5-year appointment as Fair Work Ombudsman on 1 September 2023. Anna has extensive and diverse experience in industrial relations spanning 45 years, working with the union, private and public sectors. From 2012 to 2020 Anna served as the Deputy President in the Fair Work Commission (FWC), Australia’s workplace relations tribunal. She was instrumental in setting up the FWC’s Collaborative Approaches Program, formerly known as the New Approaches Program.
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Prior to taking up her role as Deputy President at the FWC, Anna was Chair and a non-executive member of the Slater & Gordon board. She had held this role since the law firm’s listing on the ASX in 2007.​ Anna has also worked on various boards, including those of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and insurer NRMA, as well as the boards of industry superannuation owned financial services companies ME Bank and IFM. Anna has taught at the Australian Institute of Management and lectured at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.​ During the amalgamation of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union, Anna was the first female and youngest federal secretary of a union. She joined the Australian Council of Trade Unions as vice president in 1991. During her period in the union movement, Anna attracted national attention by exposing the exploitation of migrant women workers in sweatshop organisations.
Anna is the Patron of the Industrial Relations Society of NSW.
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Keynote Speakers
Ross Solly in conversation with Sarah McKinnon
Hear veteran ABC Radio Journalist, Ross Solly, in an insightful and probing fireside chat with Fair Work Commissioner Sarah McKinnon.
It's been over 15 years since the introduction of Australia's novel anti-bullying jurisdiction in 2011 and almost 5 years since the introduction of its stop sexual harassment jurisdiction in 2021. How is it working? Find out as Sarah and Ross 'chew the fat' about these important and unqiue mechanisms to address workplace bullying and harassment.
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Sarah McKinnon
In 2017, Sarah McKinnon was appointed as a Commissioner of the Fair Work Commission, Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal and the independent regulator of registered organisations. Sarah graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Economics (Social Sciences) and from the University of Technology in Sydney with a Bachelor of Laws. Sarah worked a lawyer in industrial relations and employment law for many years, including for the Australian Public Service and the National Farmers Federation where she was general manager of workplace relations and legal affairs before her appointment to the Fair Work Commission.
Sarah is currently the National Practice Lead for the Commission’s important workplace bullying and sexual harassment jurisdictions.
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Ross Solly
With over a career spanning over 30 years in journalism, Ross Solly, who hails from a farm in Western Australia, is a well-known and well-respected, long-serving Australian ABC radio journalist and presenter. He has a strong connection to the Canberra community. Ross is known for his engaging interview style and for his deep knowledge of and involvement in local affairs. He is a familiar voice on ABC radio in the capital and has his ‘finger on Canberra’s pulse.’ In 2013, Ross stepped away from his morning breakfast role, partly for family reasons, when his wife (ABC journalist Samantha Hawley) took an overseas posting. Whilst away from Canberra, Ross worked in a range of roles doing sports media and other communications work including in sports administration the International Canoe Federation and as a media relations officer for Australian canoeing, weightlifting, table tennis, squash, and diving.
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Other program highlights
Plenary Session - In collaboration with Our Watch
Future-Proofing Workplaces: Preventing Sexual Harassment and Gender-Based Violence
Workplaces are changing rapidly—and so are the risks and opportunities for preventing sexual harassment and gender-based violence. How can we stay ahead of emerging challenges and design safer, more equitable environments for the future of work?
Join a dynamic panel of experts spanning research, design, policy, practice, and futures thinking for an interactive session exploring how to proactively prevent gender-based harm in evolving workplaces. Together, we’ll unpack how shifting power dynamics, new ways of working, and organisational responses can either reinforce or disrupt patterns of discrimination, violence and harassment.
This session will explore:
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The role of leadership and workplace culture in prevention
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Legal and regulatory approaches to addressing harm
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Intersectional risk factors shaping vulnerability and impact
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How futures thinking can help anticipate and prevent emerging risks
Grounded in insights from psychology, organisational justice, public policy, and futurism, this session will move beyond discussion to provide practical, forward-looking strategies you can apply in your own context.
Be part of the conversation shaping safer workplaces for tomorrow.
Convenor: Anuradha Mundkur - Manager, Prevention Implementation (Media & Workplace), Our Watch.
Panellists: Prof Michelle Tuckey; Prof Alastair McEwin; Dr Elise Stephenson
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​Professor Alastair McEwin AM, Professor of Practice in Disability, University of NSW
Professor Alastair McEwin AM is a Professor of Practice in Disability at UNSW. He has extensive experience in disability and human rights, and a strong record of service to Australia through senior executive and Commonwealth statutory office holder roles. Profoundly deaf, Alastair has held numerous management and governance roles in the private, government and non‑government sectors.
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Professor Michelle Tuckey, Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology, Adelaide University
Michelle investigates how workplace systems and environments drive bullying and harassment, and how to redesign them. This work underpins an award-winning prevention program, reaching nearly 10,000 employees, and has shaped national policy through bodies including Safe Work Australia and the Australian and Queensland Human Rights Commissions.
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Dr Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, The Global Institute for Women's Leadership, The Australian National University 
Dr Elise Stephenson is the Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, Australian National University, founded and chaired by former prime minister Julia Gillard. She is a multi-award-winning gender equality researcher and entrepreneur focused on gender, sexuality and leadership in policy frontiers, including new domains of technology and AI.
Invited Symposia
How Do We End the Silencing of Women Who Want to Speak Up About Workplace Issues?
Presenters: Abbey Kendall, Anna Hough, Dr Anna Cody, Professor Rachel Cox, Eunice Ong
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Invited Symposia
Legal Regulation of Sexual Harassment – A Paradigm Shift from Prohibition to Prevention
Chairs: Associate Professor Belinda Smith and Professor Rachel Cox
Invited Workshop
Workplace Bullying Interventions and Implementation
Convenor: Dr Sara Branch
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“If you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there…” – The Cheshire Cat
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When it comes to workplace bullying and harassment, many organisations are still navigating without a clear map. Policies and processes exist, but in complex, real-world situations, responses can be inconsistent—or even counterproductive—when the underlying dynamics aren’t fully understood.
This interactive workshop (Thursday 4 June) will help bring clarity and direction. Drawing on the latest research, it will explore what we know about the risk and protective factors that shape workplace behaviour, and what actually works in preventing and responding to bullying and harassment. You’ll gain practical insights into building a more comprehensive, evidence-informed approach that spans prevention, response, and recovery—tailored to your own organisational context.
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Led by Dr Sara Branch (Griffith University), an organisational psychologist and “pracademic,” this session bridges theory and practice. Sara brings extensive experience working with government, non-government, and community organisations to address complex social challenges, with a strong focus on collaboration, systems thinking, and real-world implementation.
Expect an engaging, supportive environment that encourages shared learning, practical application, and cross-disciplinary insights.
If you’re looking for clearer direction—and more effective outcomes—this is a session not to miss. Register now for Thursday 4 June to secure your place.