'More needs to be done' to address workplace misconduct in Australian parliament

As a report revealing the number of serious misconduct cases in the parliament gained traction, the Australian government on Sunday said that "more needs to be done" to address workplace conduct at the house.

The Parliamentary Workplace Support Service handled 339 complaints in its first nine months of operation, showed a report released by the body last month, local broadcaster SBS News reported.

Thirty of the cases reported between October 2023 and the end of June 2024 concerned rape or sexual assault, assault, sexual harassment, harassment, stalking or intimidation.

"It's really concerning, but as many who have worked in parliament or around parliament for a long time perhaps have said, it's not entirely surprising," Health Minister Mark Butler was quoted as saying.

Another 33 cases in the nine-month timeframe were about bullying, reflecting the toxic workplace culture of Parliament House.

Some 62 cases involved family or domestic violence, alcohol and drugs or mental health, while there were 90 cases of workplace conflict being managed, according to the report.

"This is a workplace that really does need to lift its standards, and I think putting that process or that structure in place is an important first step. People need to be held accountable for poor behaviour," Butler said.

"This process is starting to work, but I think this report really concerningly shows that parliament still has a way to go," he went on to say.

Lawmakers, earlier this year, passed laws to establish an Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission, with powers to investigate workplace conduct and enforce a behavioral code.