Sexual harassment and assault in the workplace remains an insidious reality in every industry in this country.
According to a 2018 survey by the Australian Human Rights Commission, almost two in five women (39 per cent) and just over one in four men (26 per cent) have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the past five years.
Last year, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins lead a national inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace, and wrote at its conclusion, "The rate of change has been disappointingly slow. Australia now lags behind other countries in preventing and responding to sexual harassment."
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The report found that sexual harassment is "prevalent and pervasive: it occurs in every industry, in every location and at every level, in Australian workplaces".
That statement became even more poignant in 2021, as the federal government itself faces allegations of ignoring and covering up the alleged sexual assault of Brittany Higgins, a formal Liberal staffer, who was allegedly raped by a colleague in 2019 inside Parliament House. Two more women have since come forward with similar stories.
Watch: Scott Morrison's controversial response to Brittany Higgins' allegations. Post continues after video.