Jenkins Review reveals toxic power culture in Australia’s parliament

A disturbing” report has exposed a toxic power culture in Australia’s parliament – described as “a man’s world” driven by power and gender imbalance.

A toxic power culture in Australia’s parliament has left a “trail of devastation” where one-in-three staff have been sexually harassed, more than that bullied, and 1 per cent suffered actual or attempted sexual assault.

An “appalling and disturbing” report into the parliament culture revealed disgraceful accounts of harassment and assault, where powerful and aspiring figures were able to act with impunity and are rewarded for misconduct.

It included a woman reporting a male MP who “grabbed me and stuck his tongue down my throat” while others laughed, while another reported that an MP “thought nothing of picking you up, kissing you on the lips, lifting you up, touching you, pats on the bottom”.

It described parliament over decades as “a man’s world”, driven by power imbalance, gender imbalance and a challenging and demanding environment where young women were seen as “fresh meat”.

Gender imbalance: The Jenkins Report described the parliamentary workplace culture as “a man’s world”. Picture: Gary Ramage

The report was sparked by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins coming forward in March this year with regards to an alleged rape in a ministerial office, of which is currently before the courts.

There were 1723 people who took part in the review, with 77 per cent having experienced, witnessed or heard about bullying, sexual harassment or sexual assault.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there were no excuses for “inappropriate, unhealthy and unprofessional behaviour”, but said people who had worked in the building for some time would not be surprised by the findings.

He promised a multi-party response, though stopped short of promising to adopt all the report’s 28 recommendations.

The recommendations to change the culture include setting up an Office of Parliamentarian Staffing and Culture to set and enforce human resources standards, as well as an Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission to handle complaints.

It also called for the banning language, behaviour and practices in the parliamentary chambers which are sexist, exclusionary and discriminatory.

Mr Morrison said the actions recommended covered the territory needed to take parliament forward.

“Like anyone who works in this building, I find the statistics that are presented here, of course appalling and disturbing,” he said.

“I wish I found them more surprising, but I find them just as appalling.”

The Jenkins Report came out in response to Brittany Higgins’ allegations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Sex Discrimination Commission Kate Jenkins, who penned the 400-page report, said misconduct in parliamentary officers was seen as a “political problem” and people were too often punished for reporting it.

“Too often, we heard that these workplaces are not safe environments for many people within them, largely driven by power imbalances, gender inequality and exclusion and a lack of accountability,” she said.

“Such experiences leave a trail of devastation for individuals and their teams and undermine the performance of our Parliament to the nation’s detriment.”

Senior Opposition frontbencher Tanya Plibersek said Labor would carefully consider its recommendations and consult with their staff on how to respond.

“This is their workplace, and they deserve nothing less than a safe, respectful, and supportive environment,” she said.

The report found there was a “work hard, play hard” culture, combined with travel away from home and family supports, which fostered an environment where bullying was accepted.

“In some situations, unsafe drinking and blurred professional boundaries fostered environments where sexual harassment or sexual assault could occur,” the report stated.

One respondent to the report stated there was a “whatever happens in Canberra stays in Canberra” culture.

“Canberra is men strutting down corridors looking women up and down,” another participant stated.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Joel Carrett

Another person told the Commission: “I was told that if I ever sought help or spoke about what happened to me my professional reputation and personal life would be destroyed”.

“Rather than being held accountable for their actions, a key concern raised by participants was that people who engaged in misconduct in these workplaces – particularly, but not exclusively, those in senior or ‘high-value’ roles – were rewarded for, or in spite of, engaging in misconduct,” the report found.

“This creates a feedback loop where individuals ‘get away with it’, in turn discouraging the reporting of misconduct.”

Women in parliamentary workforces experienced sexual harassment and bullying at higher rate than men, while more than half respondents who identified as LGBTIQ+ experienced sexual harassment.