Damning report alleges sexual discrimination and harassment by ABF officers

Exclusive: Human rights commission finds ‘potentially unlawful conduct or inappropriate behaviour’ towards women is rife in Australian Border Force

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Bullying and harassment “are normalised” in some sections of the Australian Border Force according to a damning report suggesting cultural issues are not confined to its marine unit.

The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work report for the ABF concluded that “gender inequality persists in the ABF, creating unsafe work environments for some women”.

Comments from a team leader about wanting to “get rid of all his part-time workers” who were all women;

misogynistic and belittling comments by a male supervisor to a female officer to the effect that she belonged in the kitchen;

a female officer constantly told to smile while working on sensitive issues;

co-workers withholding information from a pregnant officer on the basis that she was not going to be around;

leaders commenting that some women are not suitable for certain roles because of their childcare responsibilities.

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