EVERYONE PLAYS PART IN ANTI-BULLYING CULTURE

EVERYONE has a right to feel safe at work, which is why it’s so disturbing to see the number of public service workers in the Northern Territory who have been victims of sexual harassment and bullying.

A new survey of about 10,000 public servants shows a whopping 30 per cent – or almost one in three – witnessed sexual harassment while they were at work over the last 12 months.

While these numbers are shocking, what was even more disturbing was that less than half of these incidents were reported on, either formally or informally.

The NT’s public service union says the reason why most of these incidents are going unreported in the workplace is because the avenues to do so are “blocked”.

Many face fear of reprisal and stigma towards the person who reported.

The government is now being urged to step up to clear the path for genuine issues to be raised and actioned.

It’s an encouraging first step to see the Gunner government and Commissioner for Public Employment respond quickly to the findings of this survey.

They will be conducting a review of the NT public service’s code of conduct including staff training, and an immediate review of bullying and sexual harassment reporting procedures. The government came out strong when asked about this survey. They said the People Matter Survey this year deliberately took further steps to seek improved information on inappropriate behaviour in the public sector so they could fully understand the extent of issues like sexual harassment, in order to address it.

But we know the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace is not confined to the public service or the NT, with a survey by the Australian Human Rights Commission showing 33 per cent of respondents reported experiencing workplace sexual harassment.

It may be easier to look away and ignore the many voices that are speaking up but this behaviour must change.

Everyone must play their part.