I was sexually harassed multiple times, sexually assaulted, bullied and terrorised. And I was told that if I ever sought help or spoke about what happened to me, my professional reputation and personal life would be destroyed.” And this: “The MP sitting beside me leaned over. Thinking he wanted to tell me something, I leaned in. He grabbed me and stuck his tongue down my throat. The others all laughed. It was revolting and humiliating.”
These are accounts from two parliamentary staffers that were published in sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins’ Set the Standard inquiry into Parliament House in November, painting a damning picture of the workplace culture at the apex of power in Australia.
One in three parliamentary staffers said they had been sexually harassed. More than half experienced at least one incident of bullying, sexual harassment or actual or attempted sexual assault. In a scathing summary, Jenkins said the issue was so pervasive in parliament that “women told us they felt ‘lucky’ if they had not directly experienced sexual harassment and assault”.
Shameful? Yes. Shocking? No, at least not to anyone who’s been paying attention in the past few years. There was the landmark 2017 survey of Australian university campuses that found one in 10 female students had been sexually assaulted; the 2020 High Court inquiry that found former judge Dyson Heydon sexually harassed six young female associates; the AMP sexual harassment scandal involving Julia Szlakowski; the advocacy of sexual-assault survivor Grace Tame; former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and former Liberal MP Julia Banks speaking out about the culture in parliament; Chanel Contos driving the conversation about sexual consent being taught in schools; the March 4 Justice rallies across the country; Australia Post’s Christine Holgate calling out sexism.
“Women felt ‘lucky’ if they had not experienced sexual harassment”
–Kate Jenkins
The troubling findings of Jenkins’ 2021 Set the Standard inquiry and the earlier Respect@Work report – which
