CANBERRA, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Australia's entertainment industry will be subject to a new code of conduct in the wake of sexual harassment allegations that have rocked Hollywood.
Industry body Live Performance Australia (LPA) has drafted the new code to prevent workplace harassment, bullying and discrimination.
The code will apply to LPA members as well as men and women who audition for roles in the industry.
Members who are found to have breached the new code of conduct, which was released for consultation on Monday, face expulsion from the organisation.
The new code of conduct stipulates that employers must take reasonable steps to prevent misconduct and appropriately respond to all complaints.
It says that all employees have a legal right not to be "discriminated against, harassed, sexually harassed or bullied in the workplace."
"What may have been tolerated or accepted or ignored in the past is not acceptable in 2018," LPA chief executive Evelyn Richardson tod News Corp Australia on Monday.
"If you have cast and crew for a six-month run, (you need to) ensure that you are talking to them at the start and through the period of the show...to ensure that the workplace is safe."
The entertainment industry has been hit hard by sexual misconduct allegations against a series of prominent Hollywood personalities, most notably film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Australian entertainers have not escaped the movement unharmed with Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush accused of touching a co-star's genitals during the production of a 2015 Sydney play.
Rush is currently pursuing legal action against the newspaper which published the allegations for defamation. Enditem
