Public service employees do not have the same access to bullying and sexual harassment protections as private industry workers do.

CPSU has been pushing the Andrews Government to make a further referral of IR powers to Canberra to give core State public sector employees the right to seek orders from the Fair Work Commission to stop bullying and sexual harassment.

The union has long advocated another referral is warranted to provide access to the anti-bullying jurisdiction but have now renewed our call in the wake of the Fair Work Commission gaining a new power to make orders to halt sexual harassment and deal with sexual harassment disputes.

We say core public sector employees only have access to internal departmental or agency reviews and that an external review process independent of the Employer is urgently needed.

In effect, the State Government is lawmaker, regulator and the employer, and this is not right.

Employees must be able to shine an independent light on what's going on inside the Departments & Agencies of Government. It's a huge misuse of employer power otherwise and it leaves the public workforce with less protections than every other worker in Victoria.