Federal parliament has been asked to acknowledge publicly the harm caused by bullying and sexual misconduct at the apex of Australian politics. 

It’s one of 28 recommendations from a review by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins into federal parliament’s workplace culture.

Her report recommends parliamentary leaders and department heads make a public statement acknowledging the harm caused by bullying, and sexual harassment and assault.

It also calls for targets for gender diversity within parliament as well as a task force to oversee the implementation of the recommendations accompanied by an external review process.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison thanked former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, whose alleged rape in parliament was a catalyst for the review.

“I do thank her for standing up and speaking up,” he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

“Her voice has been listened to.”

Ms Jenkins’ report examined problems with parliamentary culture and potential barriers that stopped people from reporting workplace incidents. 

More than 1700 people and 33 organisations contributed to the inquiry that conducted 490 interviews.

“It is a man’s world and you are reminded of it every day thanks to the looks up and down you get, to the representation in the parliamentary chambers, to the preferential treatment politicians give senior male journalists,” one person told the review.

By Georgie Moore in Canberra

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