One In Three Staffers In Australian Parliament Say They Were Sexually Harassed

One in three people working in Australia's parliament have experienced sexual harassment, a report revealed, following an independent inquiry into parliamentary workplace culture.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who ordered the review in February after his party came under pressure over its handling of an alleged rape inside the building, said the findings were "appalling" and "disturbing".

The review detailed widespread improper behaviour, and found that more than half of the people who responded had experienced at least one incident of sexual harassment, bullying, or actual or attempted sexual assault.

"Such experiences leave a trail of devastation for individuals and their teams and undermine the performance of our parliament to the nation's detriment," the report said.

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The report was commissioned after a former staffer, Brittany Higgins, said she had been raped by a colleague in a minister's office.

Her story earlier this year triggered a wave of wide-ranging allegations of misconduct in Canberra.

The victims were disproportionately women, said Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

Morrison said parliament must clean up its act.

"Like anyone who works in this building, I find the statistics that are presented here, of course, appalling and disturbing," he told reporters in Canberra.

"I wish I found them more surprising."

Morrison is under pressure to address parliamentary culture ahead of an election due in the first half of next year. Support for his conservative coalition government fell in the wake of the rape allegation, while thousands of women marched across the country calling for greater equality.

Morrison has previously been accused of being "tone deaf" on issues disproportionately affecting women in parliament.

The review, tabled in federal parliament on Tuesday, interviewed 1,723 people and 33 organisations.

It found 63 per cent of female parliamentarians had experienced sexual harassment - an even higher percentage than for political staffers.

One unnamed MP told the review: "Aspiring male politicians who thought nothing of, in one case, picking you up, kissing you on the lips, lifting you up, touching you, pats on the bottom, comments about appearance, you know, the usual. The point I make with that ... [w]as the culture allowed it, encouraged it."

The report made 28 recommendations, including greater gender balance among both lawmakers and their staff, new alcohol policies and the creation of a new human resources office to deal with complaints.