Thirty reports of serious wrongdoing – including sexual assault, stalking and intimidation – have been lodged with parliament’s new support service in its first nine months of operation, prompting former staffer Brittany Higgins to ask if perpetrators working in politics are being held to account.
More than three years after Higgins went public with claims she had been raped in then-minister Linda Reynolds’ office, the first annual report published by the support service established in response reveals it handled 339 cases – spanning everything from serious sexual crime allegations to bullying and mental health issues – within nine months.
Nine per cent, or 30, of the allegations were in the category that takes in rape, sexual assault, assault, sexual harassment, stalking or intimidation, while 10 per cent were bullying claims.
Eighteen per cent related to family and domestic violence, alcohol, drug or mental health incidents and more than a quarter, 27 per cent, were workplace conflicts. A further 124 cases were classified as unknown or other.
The annual report further reveals that more than 50 per cent of the complaints were lodged by political staffers, 12 per cent by parliamentary department staff, and 17 per cent by MPs or senators.
Complaints do not necessarily come from alleged victims inside parliament. Allegations or calls of concern can be made by friends or colleagues, and the service is also available to people working in parliament who experience a personal incident unrelated to their workplace or colleagues.
Source: Parliamentary Workplace Support Service fields 339 complaints in first nine months