Tasmanian public servants still lack an adequate mechanism to protect themselves from bullying four years after the state’s industrial commission first pointed out the need for reform.

The latest State Service annual report reveals 21 per cent of public sector employees experienced bullying in the past 12 months – and only 40 per cent of respondents said they felt comfortable to report being bullied.

In his annual review tabled in state parliament, Tasmanian Industrial Commission president David Barclay repeated his annual appeal to the government to do something to help protect public servants from bullying.

“In previous reports, I noted that bullying remained an issue and that there was no mechanism by which a state servant could adequately seek a remedy to stop bullying,” he wrote.

“I recommended amendments to the Industrial Relations Act 1984.

“Over the current year, bullying has remained a feature of some applications.

“The need for a bullying jurisdiction remains and I venture to repeat what I said last year.”

Mr Barclay first raised the issue in 2020.

“The Commission should be able to inquire into bullying for the purposes of making orders to stop bullying and to prevent future bullying,” he wrote in that year’s annual review.

“The Commission should also be able to make ancillary orders requiring persons to undergo training into the ramifications of bullying and to learn strategies to ensure that bullying does not happen again.”

The state government said while any level of bullying in the workplace was unacceptable, it was positive to note the number of people reporting bullying in the State Service had decreased since 2018.

“Anyone experiencing inappropriate behaviour should report it to their HR manager,” a spokesperson said.

“We remain committed to ensuring State Service employees are accountable for their conduct and behaviour.”