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Swillhouse centre of sexual misconduct allegations

Australian bar and restaurant group Swillhouse is being investigated for incidents of alleged sexual assault and harassment.

Sydney Australia
The bar group has venues in Sydney, Australia

Safework NSW, a workplace health and safety regulator in New South Wales, Australia, is probing Swillhouse after the Sydney Morning Herald published an investigation into Swillhouse alleging sexual harassment, assault and drug use across its venues.

The investigation published by the Sydney Morning Herald included an allegation that management at Swillhouse-owned whisky bar The Baxter Inn allegedly offered a bottle of 1982 Penfolds Grange to the first employee to have sex with a customer.

On Thursday (22 August), Swillhouse published a statement on the company’s Instagram account, which said: “This week our business has faced scrutiny with distressing claims about how Swillhouse used to operate in the past. We sincerely apologise to anyone who has felt hurt, unsafe, unprotected, triggered, or unheard.

“We particularly extend this apology to our female staff, guests, friends and family. We acknowledge that Swillhouse was not always perfect and that we got things wrong in the past. We sincerely regret that any of our former staff have felt let down or unsafe.

“Questions about workplace safety and inclusiveness have been an industry-wide issue, and we are committed to being part of the solution, not the problem.

“Several years ago, we began the process of building a better workplace where our people feel protected and where those poor behaviours are not tolerated. No one should feel unsafe in their workplace. That’s not OK.”

The Sydney-based bar group also postponed its inaugural food, wine and music festival, Swillfest, which was scheduled for September.

 

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