Victorian Police Chief Apologises Over Damning Sexual Harrassment Report

Victoria's police chief has apologised after a damning report found almost half of women on the force said they had been sexually harassed.

Commissioner Graham Ashton apologised to staff on Wednesday over the damning findings in the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) report, which found sexual harassment, and tolerance of it, was widely entrenched in the force.

It also found “substantial evidence in Victoria Police of an everyday sexist climate”.

With more than 5000 participants, the review was the largest study of workplace harassment conducted in the world, outside of US military settings, said one of the expert panelists on the review, professor Paula McDonald, from Queensland University of Technology.


“Forty per cent of female

and 7 percent of male respondents

answered yes to the question 'have you ever personally experienced sexual harassment,' Professor McDonald wrote in a piece for The Conversation.

A former senior constable in Victoria Police came forward on Tuesday night -- just ahead of the report's release -- homophobic bullying and threats to taser her drove her out of the force, and raised allegations of male police blackmailing female drivers for sex.

Commissioner Ashton on Wedesday apologised to officers following the release of the review, and said there was need for broad cultural change.

"There were some ugly stories in those reports. Some of our people told us some terrible experiences," he told the ABC.

"This is our people telling us things aren't right."

He said all 20 recommendations would be implemented.

Police Minister Wade Noonan said he was saddened by the report.

"I think the report will change Victoria Police forever and there'll certainly be no turning back from this point," he said.

Professor McDonald said sexual harassment was an “entrenched feature” of certain organisational settings and the “challenging” nature of policing meant police were expected to be “strong, resilient and unemotional in dangerous situations”.

“The review heard from participants that police should not need to seek support or assistance, even in the face of tragic or frightening incidents,” she said.

“These relationships and identities have direct implications for sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based hostility. Although many employees had experienced collegiality and support in Victoria Police, participants also reported that being a victim of sexual harassment, predatory behavior or sex discrimination was inconsistent with an identity of being a strong and resilient police officer."

The review found there was chronic under-reporting of sex discrimination, that those who did report were often targeted by colleagues. There was also overwhelming evidence of serious and chronic under-reporting of sex discrimination and sexual harassment.

Just 11 percent of targets made a formal complaint or reported their experience of sexual harassment, Professor McDonald said.

“Those who did report were often subjected to exclusion, ostracism, shaming, physical and emotional abuse, and negative impacts on their career and livelihood,” she said.