Documents sighted by The Canberra Times reveal Department of Parliamentary Services secretary Rob Stefanic in 2019 told a central public service agency not to publicly release the findings, expected to contain negative responses about the conduct of senior management officials.

The department is under pressure from Labor and the main public sector union to release the census results amid reports of an alleged toxic workplace culture in parliamentary services.

But the Department of Parliamentary Services says it has since withdrawn from the annual census of federal public servants, which it claims is not tailored to its workforce.

Documents show Mr Stefanic pushed against the release of the 2018 public service census findings requested through freedom of information rules, particularly a section focused on the views of library staff, arguing its disclosure would "undermine the effectiveness and impartiality of the Parliamentary Library and DPS more broadly".

In submissions during the freedom of information dispute, Mr Stefanic said figures on the health and wellbeing, attendance, performance management, leadership, and general impressions of employees in the parliamentary workplace could result in a "substantial adverse effect" on operations if released.

Mr Stefanic said his agency would not participate in any future annual employee censuses if the findings were published.

The aggregate results of the survey had instead been published to the department's intranet.

Parliamentary services is embroiled in a public fight with the the Community and Public Sector Union and former staff amid claims of bullying, harassment and "cover-ups" inside their workplace.

Mr Stefanic in June this year accused the union and former department employees of dishonestly recasting themselves as "victims and whistleblowers" for alleging a toxic workplace culture.

The department head also claimed the CPSU gave false evidence when it said bullying and harassment were rife within parliamentary services.

But former employees and the CPSU have accused the Department of Parliamentary Service of "weaponising" disciplinary action - including code of conduct complaints - to silence staff.

The agency overseeing the bureaucracy, the public service commission, warned that the withdrawal of the Department of Parliamentary Services from the census of bureaucrats would cause harm to the annual survey.

In a submission during the freedom of information dispute in 2019, the commission told the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner such a decision would "have a substantial adverse effect on the operations of the commission, the DPS and other bodies".

"Disclosure of the requested report would dissuade non-APS bodies from participating in the APS Census in future as is evidenced by the view expressed by the DPS."

While the 2018 document was not released through the freedom of information request, the Department of Parliamentary Services has not participated in the APS Census since 2019.

Instead, it conducts its own staff surveys.

A spokesperson for the DPS said it would continue to withdraw its participation in the standardised public service census as it was not tailored to its workforce's duties.

"The disclosure of the report - and similar reports in future - would reveal personal information about DPS employees given some reports relate to small teams," the spokesperson told The Canberra Times.

"Approximately 40 per cent of the DPS workforce do not perform desk-based duties and the length of the survey hindered participation. Accordingly, despite various strategies DPS struggled to increase participation beyond 60 per cent.

"Based on the participation rate for the 2020 survey, the department will continue to conduct its own survey in 2021. It is planned for later this year."

The DPS spokesperson said results from the surveys it conducted would be used to improve workplace culture.

The department, which is not a public service body, is exempt from freedom of information laws meaning it has no obligation to release requested documents.

The Australian Public Service Commission also said in a submission to the information commissioner mid-last year that freedom of information laws dictate the DPS be effectively treated like a private company.

It was therefore required to consult with the DPS to determine whether the documents could be released.

Mr Stefanic wrote to the information commissioner in June last year his senior officers were already subject to the Senate estimates process and therefore there was "no shortage of public accountability and transparency mechanisms already in force".

In a Senate committee hearing into the parliamentary department earlier this year, the public sector union said it had conducted its own survey in 2020, which showed more than half of the respondents felt there had been an increase in bullying and inappropriate behaviour.

The survey's participation rate was estimated at about 20 to 25 per cent of the department's workforce.

Mr Stefanic said claims of a toxic workplace at parliamentary services were "simply not accurate", but conceded there was still "room for improvement". He added the low participation rate made the union's survey results questionable.

Recent survey results conducted by the department showed 70 per cent of staff were satisfied with the culture in their work groups with an overall participation rate of 80 per cent, he said.

Union deputy secretary Beth Vincent-Pietsch said it was concerning the department was hiding census results and no longer engaging in the independent census.

"It is troubling that DPS is more concerned with its managerial reputation rather than the health and feedback of its workforce, and instead of openly dealing with problems identified have blamed the survey not their own policies," she said.

"There are other departments who have had negative feedback from their workforce, but instead of hiding the results they have invested that energy and focus on workplace culture and growth.

"DPS should be more concerned with keeping their workers safe rather than their egos."

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The issue was publicly raised during a Senate estimates hearing in March last year.

Labor senator Kimberley Kitching referred to the documents written by Mr Stefanic when questioning department witnesses, including the secretary himself.

Senator Kitching tabled the documents but they are no longer publicly available.

Mr Stefanic said he was supportive of frank responses by staff on the conduct of senior management but believed that releasing them publicly would disadvantage certain staff.

"I appreciate and welcome the frankness of staff providing their feedback, and I think it should be unfiltered," he said.

"If those granular reports were to be made public, it would reveal information that would - because it's very personally directed - be very hurtful to quite a range of people, but, importantly, it would also identify the person that's making the comments."

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