Callous attitudes to sex and the belief "violence is manly" are among the challenges in changing the male-dominated culture of the Australian Defence Force, a royal commission has been told.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide on Monday resumed hearings, including evidence from Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins.
Women made up 19 per cent of the defence force, which helped "create increased risk of unacceptable behaviour", including sexual assault, Ms Jenkins said.
The ADF was also a command-and-control organisation which had "the unique ability to use lethal force". Physical prowess was also prized and part of the job involved an acceptance of risk to their personal safety.
Ms Jenkins' landmark report in November on federal parliament's workplace conditions found more than 40 per cent of women had experienced sexual harassment and 42 per cent said they had been bullied.
The inquiry was told her organisation had been collaborating with the ADF since 2014 to support cultural reform.
Ms Jenkins said there were some notable similarities between the ADF and the parliamentary environment, including a high level of public scrutiny and criticism.
She said the chain of command management in defence meant that "people often had to tolerate a certain level of behaviour by others who may be more senior or in their team".
Under questioning by counsel assisting, Madeleine Bridgett, about some of the "unique drivers" for unacceptable workplace behaviours in the ADF, Ms Jenkins said her concerns included "callous attitudes to sex, sexual attitudes to women, a belief that violence is manly ... and an experience of danger as exciting".
She agreed the ADF had a long history of "dismissing or ignoring" complaints, but was hopeful it was not as prevalent now.
While the ADF had "unique' problems managing complaints, unacceptable behaviour in the workplace was a problem across the country, Ms Jenkins said.
Seventeen per cent of Australians formally complained of sexual harassment, Ms Jenkins said.
One of the biggest fears was that they could lose their job or be shunned by their work colleagues as a result, she added.
"The reasons they give for that reluctance include that they fear that it's too minor, they fear that it won't be believed; they fear they will suffer negative consequences including losing their job," she said.
"There is very much this sense in Australian workplaces that to fit in, you have to get along, take a joke and don't be a whinger."
Royal commission chair, Nick Kaldas, on Monday made a special plea to serving defence members not to be fearful they could jeopardise their careers by giving evidence or making a submission to the inquiry.
"You may be uncomfortable putting your name to a submission or speaking in public," Mr Kaldas said.
"Let me be clear ... you can do so anonymously."
Mr Kaldas said more than 1300 submissions had been received and there had been more than 300 requests to give evidence in private.
The commission, currently sitting in Canberra, is due to to release an interim report in August, citing issues which require urgent attention.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Open Arms 1800 011 046
Australian Associated Press
