A culture of bullying and sexual harassment in NSW parliament has been revealed.

A review conducted by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has been described as “sobering, confronting and unacceptable”.

The review reveals allegations of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment and sexual assault, with 52 per cent of bullying incidents having allegedly been perpetrated by members of parliament.

The workplace culture of harassment and bullying was found to be exacerbated by a high-pressure environment and at times fuelled by alcohol. Those in senior positions were found more likely to be perpetrators.

About a third of all people working inside NSW Parliament house, close to 500 people, participated in the review.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has pledged change. 

“We have a culture in the New South Wales parliament that over time has become, in many instances, toxic and is wrong,” he said.

“Change needs to happen.

“This report will be the beginning, the beginning of a change in workplace culture for the better.”

The report has already led to the resignation of one minister from the shadow ministry, with Labor MP Walt Secord - who was described in the report’s allegations as “a vicious manipulative bully who particularly targeted junior staff and young women” - standing aside in order to avoid becoming “a distraction from these major revelations and the important work that needs to be done”. 

The Australian Human Rights Commission’s sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins descrbing the report as “concerning”. 

“Parliaments are leading workplaces and should set the standard,” Ms Jenkins said in a statement.

“It’s important that the NSW Parliament committed to undertaking this review and it’s vital that it now acts swiftly to implement the recommendations in the report.”

While politicians have used the report to express shock and pledge change while distancing themselves from the behaviour, a former Liberal staffer and advocate for sexual assault survivors says victims cotninue to be sidelined. 

Dhanya Mani, who publicly aired allegations of indecent assault in 2019, said the release of the report has seen “MPs controlling the conversation with survivors completely omitted from that picture”.

“It was just something that was very dehumanising and frustrating. If anything it feeds into these troubling power dynamics that Broderick and her team spoke about in their reports,” she told the ABC. 

“Where they said the power imbalance between staff and MPs was a leading driver that underpins the causes for misconduct.”