One out of every three employees of the Australian parliament
have experienced sexual harassment, according to a report published Tuesday.
The report is a result of an investigation ordered by Australian Prime Minister
Scott Morrison in February after his party was criticised for its handling of
an alleged rape inside the parliament building. Following the publishing of the
report, Morrison termed the findings “appalling” and “disturbing”.

As per the report titled “Set the Standard”, more than 50%
respondents claimed to have experienced at least one incident of sexual
harassment, bullying or actual or attempted sexual assault. The report stated: “Such
experiences leave a trail of devastation for individuals and their teams and
undermine the performance of our parliament to the nation’s detriment.”

Speaking to the media, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that
members of parliament must clean up their act. “I wish I found them more surprising,”
he added.

Morrison, the leader of the Liberal Party, saw his government’s
political heft drop after the allegations of rape inside the parliament
building surfaced. With elections scheduled for early next year, the party
seems to be keen on having its public image untarnished.

The report that makes the striking claims also made 28
recommendations to the parliament. Recommendations include ensuring greater
gender balance among members of parliament and their staff, new alcohol policies
and the creation of a new human resources office to deal with complaints.

A total of 1,723 people and 33 organisations were interviewed to
prepare the report. It found that 63% female parliamentarians had experienced
sexual harassment.

The investigation was prompted by allegations made by former
parliament staffer Brittany Higgins. After the report was published, Higgins
said that she was proud of the fact that many women had come forward to share
their stories. “I want to thank the many brave people who shared their stories,
which contributed to this review,” Higgins said.