# Can I report a manager for making offensive comments about women at my workplace in Victoria?

- Jurisdiction: Australia
- Practice area: Employment Law
- Published: 2026-11-03
- Last updated: 2026-11-03
- Canonical: https://lawasked.com/au/employment-law/can-i-report-manager-making-offensive-comments-about

## Question

I have been working as a junior administrator at a large logistics firm in Melbourne, Victoria, for about eight months now. Since early February, my direct supervisor, a man in his fifties, has been making several demeaning comments towards me and the other female staff members during our weekly team briefings. For instance, last Tuesday, he made a loud remark about how women are 'too emotional' to handle high-pressure accounts, and on Friday, he suggested that my colleague's recent promotion was likely due to her appearance rather than her hard work. These comments are always made in front of at least four or five other people in the office. I have already tried speaking to him privately to tell him that his behaviour makes me feel humiliated and uncomfortable, but he just laughed it off and told me I was being too sensitive. I am worried about my career progression if I make a formal complaint, but the atmosphere is becoming incredibly intimidating. I am unsure if these repeated comments about my gender and the stereotypes he uses count as a form of harassment that I can actually take to the authorities, or if it is just considered 'office banter' that I have to put up with.

## Summary

Yes, you can likely report this behavior. The manager's repeated comments about women being 'too emotional' and questioning a colleague's promotion based on appearance may constitute harassment on the ground of sex.

## Analysis

Based on the facts you provided, your manager's conduct may meet the legal definition of harassment. Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, a person harasses another "on the ground of sex if... the person engages in unwelcome conduct of a demeaning nature in relation to the person harassed" [1]. This means the behavior is unwelcome and targets you or others because of your gender or stereotypes associated with your gender. 

In your case, the manager's remarks about women being 'too emotional' target a characteristic generally imputed to women [1]. For this to be legal harassment, a "reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated the possibility that the person harassed would be offended, humiliated or intimidated" [1]. The law specifically considers factors like the "power imbalance in the relationship" and "whether the conduct has been repeated" [1]. Since your supervisor is in a position of authority and has repeated these comments since February, these are significant factors.

Furthermore, the law prohibits creating a "workplace environment that is hostile on the ground of sex" [2]. This occurs if the conduct results in an environment that is "offensive, intimidating or humiliating" to a person of that sex [2]. Your description of the atmosphere becoming "incredibly intimidating" suggests this may apply.

It is important to note that while the law provides these protections, whether a specific comment crosses the line from 'office banter' to illegal harassment is a matter of fact that would be decided by looking at the specific context of every incident. The law does not settle whether your specific manager's words are illegal without a formal investigation.

## Statutory citations

- Sex Discrimination Act 1984, Section 28AA - Meaning of harassment on the ground of sex [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A02868/latest/text)
  > a person harasses another person... if... the person engages in unwelcome conduct of a demeaning nature in relation to the person harassed; and (b) the person does so in circumstances in which a reasonable person... would have anticipated the possibility that the person harassed would be offended, humiliated or intimidated.
- Sex Discrimination Act 1984, Section 28M - Hostile workplace environments [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A02868/latest/text)
  > It is unlawful for a person to subject another person to a workplace environment that is hostile on the ground of sex.
- Fair Work Act 2009, Section 527A - Guide to this Part [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2009A00028/latest/text)
  > Applications may be made to the FWC to deal with a dispute about an alleged contravention of this Part, including by making a stop sexual harassment order.

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