I adhered to these rules, but in the spirit of the times - with no sense of "this is ridiculous". At that time, one took for granted that it was one's own responsibility to "stay safe". We had never heard of "victim blaming" - the obvious implication of these rules being that if anything happened, it would probably be one's own fault. The one night I did work late and alone, a male colleague approached me from behind while I worked at my desk and put his arms around me. I managed to push him away and quickly left.

The whole idea of sexual harassment (covering the gamut of unwanted remarks or touching to outright assault) was rarely spoken of or discussed except for warnings, general or specific, given by fellow female workers. [Later, as a PA in the exploration industry, I was quietly warned about one of the company directors, "especially at the Christmas party".]

Working in Canberra, one took for granted that this behaviour widely existed, to the extent that any male MPs (there were extremely few female ones) who didn't "play up" were pointed out as a rara avis. [At this point I would comment that the PM's office was probably one of the safest places in Parliament House, and if I experienced anything there, it was bullying at the hands of one of the senior staffers, but fortunately, no harassment.]

The "shock and horror" being displayed in certain circles at the behaviour in the 21st-century Parliament House is astounding, to say the least. To be honest, I found the outrage expressed when the Four Corners episode Inside the Canberra Bubble was aired to be a joke. As Jane Austen wrote in an entirely different context: "These matters are always a secret, till it is found out that everybody knows them."

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The current mantra, also voiced by our PM, that "women must be believed" also sounds like nonsense in the light of all men at any level being accused of harassment "vigorously denying" their guilt. Does it not then follow that all women must not be believed?

Let's not kid ourselves, Parliament House is a bubble. In the 21st century, instant dismissal would be the private sector result of much of the male behaviour which is still extant in the nation's capital. One of the biggest problems is the gender imbalance - unfortunately, many male-dominated professions suffer the same level of harassment.

Among my friends' daughters, many of those employed in the fields of engineering, architecture and the law - all male-dominated professions - experience harassment. Interestingly enough, one of them - an architect who has moved to Germany - observes that the German company is a completely safe place to work, distinct from her Australian experience.

It saddens me to think that 40 years after I started working in Canberra, the same problems bedevil an institution that should be leading by example as one of the safest workplaces in the country.

If I could be reincarnated as a hopeful 20-something today starting a career in Parliament House, I don't doubt I would find, lamentably, that nothing much has changed. And, although the implications of the research assistant's cautionary advice - that women are responsible for the actions of the men who assault them - were abhorrent in 1978 and remain abhorrent now, would I still find myself following her rules?