The federal attorney general, Christian Porter, says his department will investigate allegations that the former high court judge Dyson Heydon sexually harassed a former staffer of the trade union royal commission.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday reported claims by a female administrative assistant that Heydon touched her inappropriately in Canberra in 2014, while he was the royal commissioner investigating the union movement.
It follows reporting by the newspaper that an independent inquiry commissioned by the high court had found Heydon sexually harassed six associates during his tenure on the court, from 2003 to 2013.
The former justice, 70, denies any wrongdoing.
In a statement, Porter said that prior to the Sydney Morning Herald report, he had no knowledge of any allegation about Heydon related to his time as the trade union royal commissioner.
He urged the woman – identified by the report as an administrative assistant – to come forward and lodge a complaint.
“I have asked my department to investigate this matter and I would encourage the individual, or anyone else with relevant information, to contact my department so this can occur and so that appropriate support can be provided.
“Until the media reporting … the allegation concerning the royal commission had not been raised with me.
“Allegations of this sort are obviously very concerning and incredibly serious. No one should ever have to suffer sexual harassment at work, or in any other part of their lives.”
Guardian Australia attempted to contact Heydon’s lawyers, Speed and Stracey, on Sunday.
In a statement to the Herald, they said: “Our client denies emphatically any allegation of sexual harassment or any offence” and “any allegation of predatory behaviour or breaches of the law is categorically denied by our client”.
