One in three people working in parliament have experienced some kind of sexual harassment there, according to a review of workplace culture sparked by rape allegations made by Brittany Higgins.
Key points:
- The review found 51 per cent of workers experienced at least one incident of bullying, sexual harassment or actual or attempted sexual assault
- The report made a number of recommendations including setting gender targets for parliamentary workplaces
- Mr Morrison said the statistics were "appalling" and he wished he found them more surprising
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins carried out the review, which was released in parliament today.
The review found more than half of all people in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces experienced at least one incident of bullying, sexual harassment or actual or attempted sexual assault.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison released the report, thanking those who contributed to the review including Ms Higgins.
"Her voice has spoken for many, as this report shows," he said.
Mr Morrison said it was "appalling" and "disturbing" that 33 per cent reported some kind of sexual harassment.
"I wish I found it more surprising," he said.
The report said while some people spoke positively about working in parliament "too often we heard that these workplaces are not safe environments for many people within them".
"Largely driven by power imbalances, gender inequality and exclusion and a lack of accountability," it said.
"Such experiences leave a trail of devastation for individuals and their teams and undermine the performance of our Parliament to the nation's detriments."
It also made a range of recommendations, including targets to achieve gender balance among parliamentarians and parliamentary staff, and for progress to be publicly reported.
Mr Morrison said parliament should set the standard for workplace behaviour and it had failed to do so.
"Just because this is a challenging environment … this is no excuse to normalise inappropriate, unhealthy and unprofessional behaviour," he said.
"I think the recommendations cover all the right territory.
"I don't care what your job is or what your responsibilities are, nothing justifies that."
'He stuck his tongue down my throat'
The review's report said women experienced sexual harassment at a higher rate compared to men, at 40 per cent compared to 26 per cent.
It said while respondents were not asked to describe their experiences, people shared stories with the review in submissions and interviews.
"The MP sitting beside me leaned over. Also thinking he wanted to tell me something, I leaned in," one person told the review.
"He grabbed me and stuck his tongue down my throat. The others all laughed. It was revolting and humiliating."
The report also detailed the impact harassment and bullying had on the people who experienced it, including suicide attempts, hospitalisation and relationship breakdowns.
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2021-11-30 01:26:47Z
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