I was sexually assaulted by an Australian parliamentarian’s chief of staff – I believe change is coming | Former political staffer

We know that just over half of all people who work in parliament say they have experienced at least one incident of bullying, sexual harassment or actual or attempted sexual assault in a commonwealth parliamentary workplace.

And 1% say they have experienced some form of actual or attempted sexual assault at work.

I was one of those people. As a university student I volunteered in the electorate office of a federal parliamentarian in the early 2000s. I volunteered because I wanted to help the party and because I hoped volunteering would be a stepping stone to my dream job as a political staffer.

I did not volunteer for what happened next, which was that I was sexually assaulted and sexually harassed by the parliamentarian’s chief of staff. The man who assaulted me was the person who supervised my volunteer work and who I relied on for references – in effect, he was my boss.

At the time the more serious incidents I experienced were generally not categorized as sexual assault. Instead, they were put into boxes labeled “dumb decisions made while drunk” or “bad sex with a guy who turned out to be a jerk”. These days I believe the actions of the man involved would be considered criminal behaviour.

Back then, I did not report those incidents to anyone because I suspected that if I had the consequences would have been worse for me than him. He would have kept his job. I would have been portrayed as someone who was promiscuous and trying to “sleep her way to the top”. I did not keep quiet to protect him. I kept quiet to protect myself. I have stayed quiet for over twenty years. Now it is finally time for me to speak up.

I am one of the people who made a submission to sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins’s report Set the Standard: Report on the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces.

The release of the Set the Standard report has been met with shock from some people, while others – particularly women in politics – have been unsurprised by the report’s disturbing findings.

The report makes it clear that these issues cut across the political spectrum. The prime minister, the leader of the opposition and other parliamentarians have acknowledged the need to address the matters raised in the report in a cross-party manner.

The government has indicated that when parliament resumes this month, the statement of acknowledgment recommended in the report will be delivered. The statement will “acknowledge the harm caused by bullying, sexual harassment, and sexual assault in commonwealth parliamentary workplaces and a commitment to action and shared accountability”.

While I look forward to hearing the statement of acknowledgment, our leaders’ words will ring hollow if they are not followed by immediate action.

Firstly, all parties must commit to the full implementation of the 28 recommendations in the Set the Standard report.

Secondly, there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed. You could say there are several elephants in a number of party rooms and parliamentarians’ offices. Our leaders lack moral authority on these issues while they continue to harbor and protect the alleged perpetrators of sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying within their parties – and while they continue to rely upon those people’s votes.

Allegations of sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying are extremely serious. The report shows the trail of wreckage these types of incidents leave in their wake, for both the individuals who are affected and for their families.

These allegations, both recent and historical, need to be investigated and, where substantiated, acted upon. In some cases, that may mean that the perpetrators lose their jobs. In others, it may also mean that they need to be dealt with by the courts.

What cannot be allowed to happen is what has happened up until now – for these people to be protected and, in many cases, promoted, while only their victims have to face the devastating consequences of their behaviour.

In my view, an under-reported aspect of workplace sexual misconduct is the link between those behaviors and other unethical behaviour. Often, it is the same people who are carrying out both sorts of activities.

It should not come as a surprise to us that people who engage in one form of unethical conduct are often the same people who engage in other forms of unethical conduct. Stamping out any corrupt behaviour, including by the establishment of a commonwealth integrity commission, is therefore likely to reduce rates of workplace sexual misconduct.

Likewise, I believe that the full implementation of the Set the Standard recommendations is likely to go some way towards reducing corrupt conduct in our parliament.

As a survivor of sexual assault in a commonwealth parliamentary workplace, here is what I would like to say:

To the parliamentarians who are people of integrity: sadly, many Australians believe that you do not exist. However, I know that there are good people at Parliament House across the political spectrum who are working hard to make our country a better, fairer place. Those people have nothing to lose and everything to gain from cleaning up politics in Australia. Doing so will create more career opportunities for people like you and will improve the governance of our country – a win-win situation.

To my fellow survivors – those who have spoken out publicly at great personal cost, those who have spoken out anonymously like I have, and those who suffer in silence: never forget that you are strong, resilient and amazing people. Others may call me overly optimistic, but I believe that there is now real momentum for change.

That change may take time, but it is coming. In the words of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”