Brodie’s law in Australia, Zara’s law in Malaysia? — Hafiz Hassan

Brodie’s law in Australia, Zara’s law in Malaysia? — Hafiz Hassan


Friday, 19 Sep 2025 9:39 AM MYT


SEPTEMBER 19 — This month in 2006 in Victoria, Australia, 19-year-old Brodie Panlock jumped off the top of a multi-storey car park in the inner-eastern Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, around the corner from the cafe where she had worked for the past 18 months.

She succumbed to her injuries in hospital three days later.

An inquest into her quest held in 2007 exposed the traumatising and relentless bullying she suffered while working at Hawthorn’s trendy Cafe Vamp where she entered into a brief sexual relationship with the café’s front-of house manager.

Sadly though, Brodie was regularly humiliated and ridiculed by, of all people, the house manager himself, as well as two fellow workmates.


According to a former workmate’s testimony at the inquest, Brodie tolerated the humiliation and ridicule – the harassment – because she yearned for acceptance, and she believed that a more serious romantic relationship with the house manager would develop.


Over time the harassment increased in severity. The inquest heard that the physical and emotional abuse she suffered were “utterly harrowing”.

The house manager and the two workmates regularly made derogatory comments about Brodie’s appearance and intelligence.


The physical abuse included being spat on while working.

Most disturbing was the utter indifference shown by the owner of the café.

After the inquest, the owner, the house manager and the two workmates were prosecuted under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

None were prosecuted under the State’s Crimes Act for a more serious offence.

They were fined a total of A$115,000 for their culpability in Brodie’s death. OHSA then did not provide jail terms for perpetrators of workplace harassment.

The State Government of Victoria duly considered amending the Crimes Act to provide for offences of serious workplace bullying with sentences of imprisonment upon conviction.

Brodie’s family members were consulted by the State Government for the legislative changes.

When the changes were passed and became law in June 2011, the media could identify the provisions as closely related with Brodie’s harassment at her workplace.

Accordingly, the media dubbed the provisions “Brodie’s Law”.

Brodie’s Law raised awareness in Victoria about the serious nature of bullying and the very damaging consequences it might have.

The law sent a strong message that threatening, bullying behaviour – in the workplace and elsewhere throughout the community – would not be tolerated.

Highlighting the importance of “Brodie’s Law”, then State Attorney-General Robert Clark told the media that Victorians were “entitled to be confident” that children would not fall prey to bullying when starting out in the workforce.

Will we get to see “Zara’s Law” in Malaysia?

Malaysian parents too are entitled to be confident that their children would not fall prey to bullying in schools, institutions, workplaces and throughout the community.