An intern at EY Australia alleges her manager sexually harassed her, then colleagues urged her to “move on” when she tried to raise the issue internally. She is now suing the big four consulting firm in the Federal Court, claiming she was victimised after making a formal complaint about a male colleague over an incident in January 2023.
EY conducted an internal investigation and the man she complained about no longer works at the firm. The company is not defending the sexual harassment allegation itself but it rejects any claim that it victimised her.
According to her statement of claim, the alleged harassment started soon after she joined EY in late November 2022 as part of the firm’s vacationer programme. She also says she was excluded from taking part in a staff survey used in a broader culture review led by former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.
The review is designed to capture staff experiences and identify cultural problems inside the organisation. Being blocked from contributing to it is presented in her claim as one of several ways she was sidelined after speaking up.
The case lands as large professional services firms face heightened scrutiny over workplace conduct and how they treat complainants. The Federal Court proceedings now focus attention on what happens inside firms after staff raise complaints, not just on the alleged misconduct itself.
