A investigation into workplace culture in the NSW Parliament has detailed a slew of alarming occurrences, ranging from an MP complimenting a worker her breasts looked ‘excellent in that’ to rape claims.
The assessment, conducted by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, indicated that five persons claimed to have been raped or tried to be raped while working in the facility in the previous five years.
The disturbing charges were made in an anonymous poll of staff members by three nameless males and two women.
Many people describe how they were bullied or harassed by top coworkers and political officials.
‘Some days you would go into [the office] and they would make an inappropriate remark [such as] “jeez your boobs look beautiful in that,” one lady recalled of her experience working for an MP.
‘When I initially arrived, [a Departmental staff member] commented “oh look, we’ve got a nice new face,” added another. ‘I didn’t know how to discourage that type of statement.’
One employee said that a coworker touched them, adding, ‘I had a colleague in the Department who was pretty handsy, patted me on the buttocks.’
Others said that MPs or senior employees having sex with juniors was ‘normalized.’
‘It seemed like the 1970s, with elderly affluent white guys hiring these gorgeous young ladies in their twenties,’ one worker said.
More than a third of the sexual assault accusations handled by employees happened in NSW’s Parliament House, with others happening after work drinks.
It is unknown how many of the five accusations included rape or attempted rape. The suspected offenders have not been identified either.
The accused victims were all under the age of 55, with the majority being between the ages of 25 and 34.
The independent study was commissioned last year in response to various concerns of employee mistreatment.
I finished reading the report. Premier Dominic Perrottet’s response is sobering, stark, and unacceptable.
It included charges of bullying and harassment in addition to the rape claims.
According to the investigation, several MPs’ offices were “well-known hotspots” for bullying.
Unnamed MPs have been accused of ‘reducing adult men to tears.’
According to one employee, ’employees are intimidated, traumatized, and no real action can be done.’
Premier Dominic Perrottet promised reporters on Friday morning that he will filter out badly behaving MPs and make parliament secure.
‘I read the report.’ It’s depressing, upsetting, and unacceptable,’ he added.
‘Every workplace in our state should be free of harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual assault,’ says the New South Wales Parliament.
Parliamentarians serve as role models and leaders in our community. They should take the initiative and lead from the front.
‘Clearly, we have a culture in the New South Wales Parliament that has grown poisonous and incorrect in many situations over time.’
‘If MPs cannot lead and ensure a secure employment environment, what chance do other employers in our beautiful state have?’
Several alleged victims were questioned by Ms Broderick’s team over the course of the investigation. According to her assessment, many people felt unsupported.
‘Of those who indicated they reported the occurrences during interviews, none received any significant support or validation of their experiences,’ Ms Broderick wrote.
All of those who spoke with the Review Team about sexual assault were women who had been sexually attacked by males.
‘This might imply that there are extra hurdles to sharing experiences for guys, particularly homosexual and bisexual men, as well as trans and gender diverse persons.’
Mr Perrottet said that the study was simply the beginning of cultural transformation in the NSW legislature and promised to implement its recommendations.
Strengthening internal regulations and codes of conduct, lowering alcohol use, expanding support services, and monitoring “well-known hotspots” for bullying were among them.
‘This has to stop, and it has to end now,’ Mr Perrottet added.
Only one of every four employees working in the facility, including MPs, cleaning, security, and catering staff, took part in the study.
Health Minister Bronnie Taylor advised those responsible for part of the behavior to leave the NSW legislature.
‘You know who you are, and I strongly advise you that you do not belong in the NSW parliament,’ she continued.