Sexual Harassment Rises In Australian Parliament Buildings, PM Morrison: Damaging Performance And Harming The Country

PM Australia Scott Morrison. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - One in three people working in Australia's Parliament buildings has experienced sexual harassment, a report published on Tuesday said, following an independent investigation into parliamentary workplace culture.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who ordered the review in February after his party came under pressure over his handling of alleged rape inside parliament, said the findings were "terrible" and "disturbing".

The review detailed widespread inappropriate behavior, and found more than half of the people who responded had experienced at least one incident of sexual harassment, intimidation, or actual or attempted sexual assault.

"Such experiences leave a trail of destruction for individuals and their teams and undermine the performance of our parliament to the detriment of the country," PM Morrison said, citing Reuters November 30.

PM Morrison further emphasized that parliament must clean up its actions.

"Like anyone who works in this building, I find the statistics presented here, of course, appalling and disturbing," he told reporters in Canberra.

"I wish I had found them more surprising," said PM Morrison.

The report made 28 recommendations, including greater gender balance among MPs and their staff, a new alcohol policy, and the creation of a new human resources office to deal with complaints.

To note, PM Morrison is under pressure to address parliamentary culture ahead of elections scheduled for the first half of next year. Support for his conservative coalition government fell after allegations of rape, while thousands of women marched across the country calling for greater equality.