Female cadets at the Defence Force academy are subjected to widespread sexual harassment, exacerbated by poor leadership, outdated attitudes and a lack of appreciation of what women can contribute to the armed services, according to a report by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner.

The report’s authors found 74 per cent of female cadets and 30 per cent of male cadets had been sexually harassed, and there had been incidents of far more serious sexual misconduct, such as rape and sexual assault.