Sexual harassment rife inside Aus parliament: Report

New York: One in three people working in Australia’s parliament have experienced sexual harassment, a recently published report said, following an independent inquiry into parliamentary workplace culture.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who ordered the review in February after his party came under pressure over its handling of an alleged rape inside the building, said the findings were “appalling” and “disturbing”.

The review detailed widespread improper behavior and found that more than half of the people who responded had experienced at least one incident of sexual harassment, bullying, or actual or attempted sexual assault.

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

Morrison said parliament must clean up its act.

He is under pressure to address parliamentary culture ahead of an election due in the first half of next year. Support for his conservative coalition government fell in the wake of the rape allegation, while thousands of women marched across the country calling for greater equality.

Image courtesy of courtesy: Wikipedia

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