One in three workers in the Australian Parliament has been sexually harassed or intimidated, a report released today has revealed.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who called for the inquiry in February after his party came under pressure for handling a rape allegation in parliament, said the report's findings were "disgusting" and "worrying".
According to the survey, 40% of women said they had been sexually harassed, as did 26% of men.
One of the 1.700 testimonies included in the report speaks of "up-and-coming politicians who in some cases did not hesitate to hug you, kiss you on the mouth, lift you up, touch you, slap you on the hips, do comments about your appearance, you know, ordinary things (…) the culture allowed it ".
"The statistics and the comments are shocking, but to many women here they come as no surprise and match our experiences," said Green Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young.
The investigation began after the outrage caused by the allegation of rape made by Brittany Higgins. Higgins complained that she was raped by a colleague in March 2019 in the office of then-Defense Secretary Linda Reynolds, for whom she worked.
Her complaint is being heard by the judiciary and has sparked a wave of protests across Australia as well as calls for reform.
Higgins welcomed the publication of the report today and thanked "the many brave people who shared their stories and contributed to the research".
The report also makes 28 recommendations, including the introduction of new rules on alcohol consumption and the establishment of a human resources office to deal with complaints.
Source: RES-EAP