The head of the public service has acknowledged thousands of federal government employees are victims of domestic violence, while others remain perpetrators of criminal abuse against family members.
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Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet boss Martin Parkinson says the public service should follow the lead of big business in confronting the impact of violence against women as a workplace and moral issue.
"Anybody who says this isn't a workplace issue is just delusional," he said on Monday.
"Two thirds of all women who are subject to domestic violence are actually at work. It impacts on the way in which they do their jobs, how they interact with their colleagues.
"As head of the public service, it is absolutely critical that we do our bit along with all the other parts of the Australian business community.
"Business takes it seriously, government has to take it seriously."
Dr Parkinson and a group of senior bureaucrats signed the White Ribbon Day pledge on Monday, committing to take action to prevent violence against women by men.
The campaign says one in three Australian women have experience physical or sexual abuse by someone they know, one in five women experience harassment in the workplace and over 12 months, on average, one woman is killed every week by a current or former partner.
Dr Parkinson said the pledge, and public service wide efforts to address domestic violence, including through the Male Champions of Change program, sent a strong message to staff and the wider Australian community.
"It is to say to those people who are victims and survivors that we are with you, we're supporting you and we have the tools to help you," Dr Parkinson said.
"To the perpetrators, it is to say enough is enough."
Among the signatories were associate secretary Andrew Tongue and deputy secretaries David Gruen, Allan McKinnon, Ian Anderson, Tony Sheehan, Lin Hatfield Dodds, Yael Cass all signed the pledge in a small ceremony on Monday.
"We have just got to say stop," Dr Parkinson said. "Domestic violence is not an easy issue, there's no simple solution.
"We're also saying to the perpetrators that this is a crime and it has got to stop, but we can help you if you want to be helped."
He urged public servants facing violence from a family member, or perpetrating violence themselves to seek help through workplace programs.
"Every one of our departments, our key portfolio agencies, have employee assistance providers. They are there, they know how to help people. Please, please just go and seek help.
"As your employer, whether you're seeking help because you are a victim or whether you are seeking help because you are a perpetrator and you don't want to be, we've put in place mechanisms to help," he said.
