The Commission’s national surveys on the
prevalence, nature, reporting and impacts
of workplace sexual harassment are
world-leading as the first surveys of this
scale and kind into the issue. The results
of the fourth national survey conducted
by the Commission, Everyone’s Business:
Fourth national survey on sexual harassment
in Australian workplaces (the 2018 National
Survey), released in 2018, have informed
the Commission’s findings as part of this
Inquiry.
The 2018 National Survey showed that
rates of sexual harassment have increased
significantly since the previous survey was
conducted in 2012. During this Inquiry,
the Commission has identified areas
where the national survey can be further
enhanced to better understand and
respond to the pervasive nature of sexual
harassment in Australian society.
This section presents findings from the
2018 National Survey on the prevalence
of workplace sexual harassment. It also
discusses sexual harassment prevalence
data from a range of other sources, and
outlines some of the challenges relating
to survey methodology, accessibility and
the collection of data when estimating and
comparing the prevalence of workplace
sexual harassment.
This section also examines complaints
data relating to workplace sexual
harassment collected by the Commission,
state and territory human rights and
anti-discrimination agencies and other
regulatory agencies that handle sexual
harassment matters. While not an
indicator of prevalence, this type of
administrative data can contribute to the
evidence base to inform better prevention
of and responses to sexual harassment in
Australian workplaces.
(a)
2018 National Survey
(i) Key findings on prevalence of workplace
sexual harassment
The 2018 National Survey was conducted
both online and by telephone with a
sample of more than 10,000 Australians
aged 15 and over and was representative
of the Australian population in terms of
gender, age and geographic location.3
Of a total sample of 10,272 people,
7,813 people said they had been in the
workforce in the last five years.4 The
survey asked those people who had
been in the workforce in the last five
years if they had experienced workplace
sexual harassment at least once in
that time.5 It also captured the types
of sexual harassment experienced and
the characteristics of people who had
experienced sexual harassment.
Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces • 2020 • 95