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| NSW Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney IMAGE: Sydney Living Museums |
And New South Wales politicians wonder why they are held in such low repute.......
“Around half of incidents of harmful behaviour occurred at NSW Parliament House itself, with the remainder occurring across electorate offices, on work-related travel, at work related social functions and online. Insights from qualitative research showed that alcohol was considered to be a contributory, though not a causal, factor in some of the incidents, particularly of sexual harassment. The majority of participants in the Review identified the unequal distribution of power as a key driving factor both in problematic cultural dynamics and in the patterns of harmful behaviours. This was supported by the survey findings, which identified that Members of Parliament were responsible for a disproportionate number of incidents of harmful behaviour.”
[Elizabeth Broderick & Co, “Leading for Change Independent Review of Bullying, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct in NSW Parliamentary Workplaces 2022”]
NSW Parliament, Elizabeth Broderick & Co, Leading for Change Independent Review of Bullying, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct in NSW Parliamentary Workplaces 2022, excerpts, 12 August 2022:
The Review’s findings (P.5)
EB&Co. is grateful to everyone who contributed to this Review. Their passion for serving the community of NSW; their candour about their experiences; and their suggestions for positive change have enriched the Review’s work and laid a foundation for meaningful reform.
Key themes that emerged across the Review include:
many people who participated in this Review spoke very positively about their workplace and felt that, where issues of harmful behaviour arose, they were addressed swiftly and appropriately.
Nevertheless, other findings included:
Bullying is a significant issue across Parliamentary workplaces in NSW. It is systemic and multi-directional, and those working in Parliamentary workplaces have low confidence in structural or cultural protections to prevent bullying or to stop it once it is occurring.
Sexual harassment and everyday sexism occur at unacceptable rates, with prevalence of experiences particularly high for women, people who identified as having a diverse sexuality and younger people (24-35 years old).2
Both women and men reported experiences of actual or attempted sexual assault, and prevalence was highest among people who identified as having a diverse sexuality.
The impact of these behaviours is heightened for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Some offices are described as “well-known hotspots”, characterised by high rates of staff turnover related to harmful behaviours.
The human cost of these behaviours is high. Although resilient and committed to their roles, many Review participants described the impact of these behaviours on their mental health, their wellbeing, their relationships, and their career as ‘devastating’.
The organisational cost is similarly high, with Parliamentary workplaces losing smart, talented and passionate individuals due to these behaviours.
Key drivers of harmful behaviours include: the unequal distribution of power between parliamentarians and staff; the underrepresentation of women and diverse cohorts in formal decision-making roles; the unequal distribution of accountability and inconsistent behavioural expectations; and the highly pressured and political nature of the working environment. Other factors – such as long working hours, staffing conditions of engagement that render staff on tenuous contractual arrangements, and access to and consumption of alcohol in NSW Parliamentary workplaces– compound these drivers.
Many people were not aware of the policy framework and those who were aware had limited confidence in the ability of current policies to either prevent or respond meaningfully to harmful behaviours.
Knowledge of, and trust in, the reporting arrangements is similarly low, with particular concern relating to confidentiality and a perceived high risk of retribution or negative career impacts, for those who report harmful behaviours.
Low reporting rates that result from this lack of trust have created a vacuum in which some individuals and offices are unaware of the prevalence of these behaviours, whilst others have remained in denial about the prevalence and impact of these behaviours.
2 The term ‘people who identified as having a diverse sexuality’ refers to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, asexual or aromantic, undecided or other.
Lived experience of Parliamentary workplaces: culture, inclusion and harmful behaviours (PP. 48-51)
Members of NSW Parliament were more likely (18%) to indicate that they have heard about or witnessed sexual assault when compared with Ministerial Staff (4%) and Departmental Staff (3%).
During one on one interviews, EB&Co. heard from a number of people who had been sexually assaulted by MPs and/or staff working for MPs, Special Office Holders or Ministers. EB&Co. has chosen not to quote from those interviews in this report given the sensitivities of what they endured and that their experiences were ones of considerable trauma. Of those who told EB&Co. during interviews that they reported the incidents, none were provided with any meaningful support or validation of their experiences. All those who shared stories of sexual assault with the Review Team via an interview were women who had been sexually assaulted by men. This may indicate that there are additional barriers for men, especially gay and bisexual men, and for trans and gender diverse people, to share their experiences.
Location
It is apparent from the qualitative and quantitative data that these harmful behaviours occur in a wide range of locations, including:
in Parliament House
in electorate offices
in work-related community settings (such as community events)
in work-related travel locations (eg when staff and MPs are staying in the city during sitting weeks, or during Committee visits to rural and regional areas) and
in private settings (e.g., at private residences following work functions).
The most frequent site was electorate offices, with a common thread being the unique challenges of working in an electorate office.
I wouldn’t be an employee in an electorate office for anything.
…….
When asked about attitudes towards alcohol consumption:
Those working as Members of NSW Parliament were more likely to agree that ‘drinking alcohol during work hours is seen as acceptable’ (68%) when compared with all other roles (35%)
Those working in NSW Parliamentary workplaces for more than three years were more likely to agree that ‘drinking alcohol during work hours is seen as acceptable’ (42%) when compared to those working three years or under (28%)…...
When asked about excess consumption of alcohol:
Members of NSW Parliament (38%), Members’ staff
or Special Office Holders’ staff (28%) and Ministerial
Staff (30%) were all more likely to agree that ‘excessive
drinking is common amongst people working in NSW
Parliamentary workplaces’ when compared with
Departmental Staff (8%)…..
BACKGROUND
