Sexual harassment prevalent, under-reported in the public service: union survey

The Community and Public Sector Union's survey also found that just one in three incidents were reported, and when they were reported the response was perceived as "inadequate".

The union will use the findings to turn up pressure on the federal government to go further in its effort to stamp out harassment in the workplace.

After the Brittany Higgins rape allegations sparked renewed public debate about workplace culture and sexual violence, the union surveyed its members to help guide its approach to preventing and responding to the problem.

Among the 3280 respondents were people employed in Commonwealth, ACT and NT government departments, as well as at CSIRO and the ABC.

A very small proportion of respondents were union members at Australia Post and Telstra, meaning that not all of the feedback came from public servants.

The survey revealed that 16 per cent of respondents had experienced, and 19 per cent had witnessed, sexual harassment in their current workplace.

Female staff experienced and witnessed harassments at higher rates than men, the survey showed. More than a third of staff who identified as non-binary had been subjected to sexual harassment, while a quarter of people with a disability said they had been abused.

However, more than two thirds of incidents were not reported.

A distrust of their workplace to investigate or be impartial when presented with allegations was the common reason given for why victims didn't come forward.

Of the victims who did report, only one third rated their workplace's response as satisfactory or sufficient.

Some of the shortfalls included "unclear, length and non-transparent complaint handling processes" and negative consequences for complainant, including for their career prospects.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison last month responded in full to Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins' landmark workplace culture review, more than a year after it was handed to the government.

While elements of the government's response was welcomed, it was criticised for refusing to adopt some of the key review's recommendations - such as introducing a positive duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment.

The union has published a new framework it hopes will be adopted by government departments and agencies to help create safer workplaces.

The 22-point framework calls on senior leaders to be "visible and proactive" in efforts to stamp out harassment in their workplace, with particular attention given to vulnerable workers.

It requires agencies to agree that no "adverse action" would be taken against staff who report experiencing and witnessing sexual harassment, and whose performance or attendance at work subsequently suffers.

"Members hope that this new framework will be adopted by departments and agencies and lead to safer workplaces, and clear guidelines for dealing with the troubling rates of harassment revealed in our survey," the union's national secretary, Melissa Donnelly, said.

"Women workers have identified a range of issues that contribute to gender inequity and perpetuate a workplace culture that fails to support them keep them safe.

"The problem is not that women are failing to propose solutions.

"The problem is that the government and employers are not listening."

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