ACT public servants were hit with nearly double the amount of disciplinary sanctions in the most recent financial year.

A total of ninety-six sanctions were issued as a result of misconduct in 2018-19, 34 of which took the form of a written warning and admonishment, while 24 demanded some other financial penalty.

A further 16 employees resigned before a sanction was imposed; 13 were sacked, and nine were transferred to another position at their level, or a lower classification.

The misconduct of some saw them sapped with more than one sanction.

It is the highest number of sanctions issued in the ACT public service since 2013.

Public servants lodged 368 complaints of bullying and harassment against co-workers in 2018-19, one more than the previous financial year.

“Many reports were either resolved within the workplace without the need for further intervention or were found during the preliminary assessment stage not to involve behaviour considered to be bullying or harassment,” the ACT’s State of the Service report states.

Community and Public Sector Union regional secretary, Madeline Northam, said it is good to see the Professional Standards Unit use its “greater scope” to self-initiate investigations.

“Thanks to the campaign of [union] members, there has been an intense focus on issues that the Professional Standards Unit deals with, such as bullying, harassment, nepotism and favouritism, which in particular has been highlighted by the Health Culture Review, but exists in other agencies,” she told the Canberra Times.

“It is not surprising that with such a focus by the [union] and the government that the number of investigations would increase.”