Harassment and bullying

The Australian Public Service Employee Census measures employee perceptions of harassment and bullying. Responses to the question ‘During the last 12 months, have you been subjected to harassment or bullying in your current workplace?’ are summarised here.

For the purposes of the APS Employee Census, these definitions were used:

• Harassment ꟷ Workplace harassment entails offensive, belittling or threatening behaviour directed at an individual or group. The behaviour is unwelcome, unsolicited, usually unreciprocated and usually, but not always, repeated. Reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable way is not workplace harassment.
• Bullying ꟷ A worker is bullied at work if, while at work, an individual or group of individuals repeatedly behaves unreasonably towards the worker, or group of workers of which the worker is a member, and that behaviour creates a risk to health and safety. To avoid doubt, this does not apply to reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable way.

Figures AB 34 to AB 39 and tables AB 34 to AB 39 present Census results, broken down by agency size, for APS respondents.

This data represents the percentage of respondents who perceived harassment or bullying in their current workplace.

Note: Only results for APS agencies are presented. APS Employee Census results for entities that engage staff under the Public Service Act 1999 but are not APS agencies under the Act are available on the entity’s website.

Figure AB 34: Perceptions of harassment and bullying by agency size

Source: APS Employee Census

Table AB 34: Perceptions of harassment and bullying by agency size

Source: APS Employee Census

Figure AB 35: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for extra-large agencies (10,000+ employees)

Source: APS Employee Census

Table AB 35: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for extra-large agencies (10,000+ employees)

Source: APS Employee Census

Figure AB 36: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for large agencies (1,001 to 10,000 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census

Table AB 36: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for large agencies (1,001 to 10,000 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census

Figure AB 37: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for medium agencies (251 to 1,000 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census
Note: The Australian Submarine Agency was not an APS agency in 2023. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Sport Integrity Australia were small agencies in 2023.

Table AB 37: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for medium agencies (251 to 1,000 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census
Note: The Australian Submarine Agency was not an APS agency in 2023. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Sport Integrity Australia were small agencies in 2023.

Figure AB 38: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for small agencies (101 to 250 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census
Note: The National Anti-Corruption Commission was not an APS agency in 2023. The Australian Institute of Family Studies was an extra-small agency in 2023.

Table AB 38: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for small agencies (101 to 250 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census
Note: The National Anti-Corruption Commission was not an APS agency in 2023. The Australian Institute of Family Studies was an extra-small agency in 2023.

Figure AB 39: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for extra-small agencies (20 to 100 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census
Note: The Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care and the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service were not APS agencies in 2023. The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency did not have reportable results in 2023.

Table AB 39: Perceptions of harassment and bullying for extra-small agencies (20 to 100 employees)

Source: APS Employee Census
Note: The Office of the Inspector-General of Aged Care and the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service were not APS agencies in 2023. The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency did not have reportable results in 2023.