The police have been called in to investigate an incident where a male public servant allegedly urinated on his colleagues.
The allegation was raised during a Senate hearing last November, prompting an independent culture review of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).
"On Wednesday this week, I received the interim report of the review, which contains additional serious allegations of misconduct concerning the APVMA, including potential breaches of the public service code of conduct and other potential breaches of the law," Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said in a statement.
"I have immediately referred those allegations to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.
"I have also met with the APVMA board chair to discuss additional measures and to ensure the APVMA's staff are supported through this process."
Senator Watt said while the matters were under investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further.
When the authority's chief executive, Lisa Croft, was asked if she was aware that "at a staff Christmas party in 2021, a male senior staff member allegedly urinated on other staff members", she told the hearing she was aware of an incident.
"I am not aware of it in that context, not at a Christmas party … I am aware of an incident that occurred in a private capacity, not at a work function," Ms Croft told the hearing.
Ms Croft said there was no official complaint made regarding the matter and the staff member in question had resigned.
A staff survey at APVMA last year found that 11 per cent of staff had witnessed or experienced harassment and 13 per cent had reported discrimination in the workplace.
Senator Watt tapped Canberra lawyer Mary Brennan to carry out the review, following a briefing he received from Ms Croft and the APVMA board chair.
A final review into APVMA is not due until the end of March.
