Defence force officials report high rates of sexual assault complaints

Defence Force officials say the latest survey of personnel has revealed one in 20 have experienced sexual misconduct.

About five per cent of people serving in the defence force experienced sexual misconduct last year, while six allegations of sexual assault were made against people in the military during 2022.

Defence officials cited recent survey data showing high rates of sexual assault complaints in the Australian Defence Force after they reached record levels in 2021.

Outgoing Defence Force chief General Angus Campbell said he did not accept any inappropriate or unacceptable behaviours “in any part of our force.”

“That said we’re dealing with human beings so the effort we go to is focused on both mitigating, educating and dealing with certain cases when these events arise and also surveying to understand and to expose so as to better target our efforts,” he told a Senate estimates committee.

General Campbell agreed that poor workplace culture could deter women from joining the military. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

In 2021, 36 per cent of women in the defence force training academy said they had been a victim of sexual misconduct, with a quarter reporting they had experienced violence and six per cent reporting sexual assault or attempted sexual assault.

Lieutenant General Natasha Fox then revealed that in 2022, there were a total of six allegations of sexual assault in the ADF.

She said one case involved an enlisted member of the defence force, another involved a trainee officer employed in the training academy and another case involved an incident with a civilian.

Citing survey figures that showed more than three quarters of victims refused to report misconduct due to fears of not being taken seriously, Greens senator David Shoebridge asked if the defence force would commit to publishing the full scope of the data.

“I’ll give consideration to that, senator,” General Campbell responded.

Senator Shoebridge argued teling victims to report more was a ‘hollow’ response to the issue. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollmann

Officials told senators the decision to not release updated workforce data was not due to a “damning” workforce culture in the military.

“Do you accept that given the overwhelming majority aren’t making complaints, that only publishing the data paints a misleading picture of what’s happening?,” Senator Shoebridge queried.

The Labor senator Jenny McAllister, representing the defence minister at the hearing, said she did not accept there had been a lack of transparency in how the department reports sexual misconduct.

“Everyone deserves to be safe at work and that has been a focus of our government, across the public sector,” she said.

“We would say generally that there is no place for (sexual misconduct) in defence or any other workplace. Anyone who experiences misconduct is strongly encouraged and supported to report.”

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

Originally published as Defence force officials report high rates of sexual assault complaints