Victorian councils rife with sexual harassment

From intrusive questions to suggestive comments, sexual harassment is rife in Victorian councils, a scathing report reveals.

More than 500 people working for Victorian councils have reported inappropriate behaviour.

Sexual harassment is rife within Victorian councils with a new report revealing not enough is being done to keep workers safe.

Harassment ranged from intrusive questions about respondents’ personal life or appearance to sexually suggestive comments or jokes and requests for sex.

More than 500 people reported inappropriate physical contact while there were hundreds of reports of sexually explicit gifts, messages and texts.

A scathing report by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office found councillors were the most at risk group, with 40 per cent reporting being sexually harassed in the 12 months to June.

Almost one in two female councillors reported being harrassed compared to one in five male councillors.

They were among 28 per cent of all council staff from 75 of 79 councils who reported being sexually harassed.

One employee reported experiencing “naked people at work” and said complaints fell on deaf ears.

“It seems to be simply seen as something we have to deal with in libraries and not worthy of discussion,” they said.

Another said they were shown “pornographic images” by a customer.

“When I reported it to my team leader his exact words were ... ‘don’t think I’m going to report this to the police’,” they said.

Gay, lesbian, trans and gender diverse, young women and people with disabilities were identified as the most at risk groups.

“Councils are not providing workplaces that are free from sexual harassment,” the report found.

“Although councils have the tools that could prevent these experiences, they do not use them to their full advantage.

“A lack of comprehensive policies, training and communication means councils rarely engage staff in meaningful conversations about sexual harassment and its drivers.”

The report found failures by councils to tackle the scourge had created a culture where victims lacked confidence to report their experiences.

“For those who do report, complaint handling is undermined by poor documentation and councils’ failure to encourage and support complainants.”

The report found the overwhelming number of female councillors reporting sexual harassment risked serving as a disencentive to run for office.

“Women may not seek re-election, making it challenging to address their under-representation in councils.”

The Auditor-General made 12 recommendations, including identifying and acting on risk factors, regularly collecting data on harassment and improved training and reporting procedures.

Municipal Association of Victoria director of policy and advocacy,

Troy Edwards, said the report was a timely reminder that sexual

harassment could not be tolerated.

“It highlights the need for councils to develop, implement, and

monitor the practices and culture necessary to stamp out sexual

harassment in the workplace,” he said.

“We understand that there is broad acceptance in the local government

sector of the recommendations. The MAV will be working with the local

government sector to deliver training for councillors in 2021 to

ensure a better understanding on how to handle sexual harassment in

the workplace. This will support the work of individual councils in

responding to VAGO’s recommendations.”

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