APS sexual harassment complaints more than double in State of the Service Report 2021

But experts believe a greater awareness of sexual harassment generated by the advocacy of Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame may be a big factor in the rise.

The new data came a day ahead of the expected release of an independent review into workplace harassment at Parliament House undertaken by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

The Australian Public Service Commission's latest State of the Service Report, released on Monday, has shown there were 78 sexual harassment complaints recorded over the 2020-21 financial year, up from 32 in the previous year.

The number of general bullying and harassment complaints made by federal public servants also jumped from 422 two years earlier to 588 in 2020-21.

Nearly two-thirds of those who indicated experiencing bullying or harassment said they had not reported it to their workplace.

Public servants said they feared reporting the alleged unwanted behaviour could affect their career or upset relationships in the workplace, but most believed no action would be taken.

A renewed gender equality strategy will be introduced before the end of the year.

It is expected the refreshed approach will better prevent gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault and bullying, as well as agency responses.

"There is no doubt that more work is also required to improve the reporting culture around harassment and bullying," the report said.

"Further work is needed to create a culture where those targeted feel comfortable to report and confident that swift action will be taken; a culture where bystanders also call out inappropriate behaviours so they can be addressed."

Gender equality expert Associate Professor Sue Williamson said the increase in reports was also reflective of a boost in public support for survivors of sexual violence.

"People are aware that sexual harassment can be pervasive, and that it is really destructive to people and to women," she said.

"So Grace Tame, in particular, has been encouraging women to speak up, as has Britney Higgins.

"Those two women have helped to shift the conversation in Australia, and it's been underpinned by lots of policy action as well."

Commissioner Jenkins is expected to table her report on workplace safety within Parliament on Tuesday after a nine-month review sparked by the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins.

Ms Higgins alleged she had been sexually assaulted by a colleague in the office of then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019.

A 26-year-old man is set to face trial in June next year at the ACT Supreme Court over the alleged assault.

Professor Williamson said the much-anticipated release of the report will likely also have a positive flow-on effect to the public service, reinforcing the message that sexual harassment is not acceptable.

"It will contribute to the overall culture and environment within public sector agencies," she said.

"Saying that sexual harassment isn't acceptable, and there are avenues that people can take if they want to report sexual harassment and their complaints will be dealt with effectively, anonymously and efficiently."

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Community and Public Sector Union national secretary Melissa Donnelly said political staffers and public servants deserved safe workplaces, just as all other workers expected.

The union is proposing the public service adopt a new framework, which will tackle the issue by focusing on leadership, risk assessments, transparency, culture and knowledge.

"It is concerning to see such an increase in sexual harassment incidents across the APS in today's State of the Service," she said.

"It's time for all APS departments and agencies to listen to CPSU members and take practical action."

An additional reporting requirement is set to be introduced by the middle of next year, allowing the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to collect data from agencies on policies and initiatives relating to gender-based harassment to better benchmark progress.

The introduction of more data collection points was another step in the right direction to stamping out sexual violence and unwanted behaviours, Professor Williamson said.

"It is an excellent idea," she said.

"Having that [data] on record and seeing what the APS is doing, what initiatives that are being introduced and monitoring and evaluating those and reporting on them, will help to show that the APS is a good employer and will also highlight any areas where improvement needs to be made."

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