Breaking the silence—support Beth’s Federal Court case!

It’s not easy to take on your employer and its CEO in the Federal Court, and Beth needs your help.

Who is Beth, and what is she doing?

Beth is our sister, daughter, friend, and the bravest woman we know. An ambitious and diligent student turned bright and talented lawyer. She’s our fearless girl.

She’s now doing the bravest thing we could think of—taking action against her current employer, [redacted], and its CEO, [redacted].

For legal reasons, there’s not too much we can say about the case, but it has already received significant media coverage, so we can tell you that it will address claims of sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and victimisation. It will also test whether [redacted] failed in its duty of care to provide a safe workplace and safe system of work.

As Beth’s legal team have said, it’s about “control, coercion, abuse of power, personal violation, and a culture that enabled and celebrated the conditions that led to this.”

The legal journey so far

This case did not get to court overnight. Beth has been on medical leave since February last year, battling symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety. In March, she made a formal complaint to [redacted] and called for an investigation which, to this day, has not happened.

She brought her claim to the Australian Human Rights Commission in July, but it could not be resolved through conciliation. From here, she was given the opportunity to file in court, and this is the next brave step.

We’ve witnessed her struggles firsthand. She has lost so much—her livelihood, her career, her colleagues, her sense of identity and purpose. We’ve seen her struggle to pay bills, be forced to leave her rental apartment, and sell clothes to feed herself. We’ve seen her break apart and put herself back together time and time again.

She has already accrued over $200,000 in legal fees to get to this point, and this number will only grow from here.

The bigger picture

Moments from the most traumatic period of Beth’s life will be rehashed and scrutinised in a very public forum. That takes courage, but it’s what the industry needs. These difficult conversations must be had to illuminate systemic issues, drive change and prevent others from suffering similar trauma.

As Beth has come to realise, this fight is not just about her. It’s about creating safe, equitable and inclusive workplaces. It’s about reform.

A disparity in power and resources makes this difficult for Beth. She’s just an individual, while [redacted] is a successful tech company which has been valued at almost $1billion, and [redacted] was recently named on the Financial Review’s Young Rich List. It’s certainly not a level playing field.

What can you do?

You can help pay Beth’s legal and court fees so that she can continue to fight without financial fear.

Any excess money raised will be donated to Our Watch and Black Dog Institute. Our Watch is a leader in the primary prevention of violence against women and is currently calling on Australian businesses to end sexual harassment at work. Black Dog Institute is an advocacy organisation focused on suicide prevention and the early detection and treatment of mental health disorders.

If you can, please contribute. If you can’t, please share. Every voice, every dollar, and every show of support brings us one step closer to a world where women are safe at work.

At a time like this, we are reminded of Beth’s favourite quote from her high school days: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us”. Let’s combine forces to make Beth powerful beyond measure and be the light that she needs in this dark time.

With hopeful hearts, Beth’s family and friends.

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In the interests of fair and impartial court proceedings, it’s crucial that we note that the case has not yet been heard by the court and there have been no findings against [redacted] or [redacted]. [redacted] and [redacted] are entitled to defend these claims in court.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact 1800RESPECT, the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service, on 1800 737 732.