The Canberra Times can reveal the future of the Parliament House workplace training program, announced in the wake of Ms Higgins' sexual assault allegations, is in doubt beyond 2021 with the Finance Department confirming any further rollout of the program would be a "policy decision for government".

More than 1000 political and government staff members have participated in the face-to-face and virtual training sessions since the program began in late September, the department confirmed.

But while there were a number of staff still to undertake training sessions - mandatory for Coalition staffers - the department said the program was on track to be completed by the end of the year.

Ms Higgins, who alleges she was sexually assaulted in a ministerial office in 2019, was unimpressed.

"You would think 'respect' training should be an ongoing part of the government's induction for new staff," Ms Higgins told Australian Community Media.

"The idea that these problems are eliminated after just one year is extremely short-sighted."

She has been campaigning to improve parliamentary culture and create lasting change by pushing for an independent complaints mechanism for parliamentary staff and reform of the Members of Parliament Staff (MOPS) Act.

Ms Higgins said workplace training should be treated seriously as a way to stamp out bad behaviour.

"Sexual harassment in endemic in all Australian workplaces," she said.

"It's disappointing to see the federal government, time and time again treat it like an afterthought.

"Especially in light of the Attorneys-General two-day sexual harassment conference taking place at the present."

Political staff hired before the end of the year will still receive training with additional planned sessions but training for future hirings beyond that date remained a decision for government.

"Additional training sessions will be held at the end of the program for new employees," a Finance spokesperson said.

"Any future roll out of the training program in its current form would be a policy decision for government."

The training is being conducted by consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, which received a $1.2 million contract to deliver the program for a three-month period between September and December.

Special Minister of State Ben Morton said he was committed to continuing the training but did not say what was planned.

"The government is committed to continuing this training and it will not be temporary," he said.

"There will be opportunities for all new staff to complete the training, consistent with the determination for all Coalition staff."

The training program was one of 10 recommendations delivered by a review into the Parliamentary workplace, undertaken by Prime Minister and Cabinet deputy secretary Stephanie Foster, after Ms Higgins went public with her allegations in February.

In September, Ms Higgins questioned the independence of a then-introduced complaints mechanism for serious incidents in Parliament House - one of her key requests.

The complaints mechanism - a central recommendation of the Foster review - has been set up alongside a dedicated new 24-hour, seven-day phone, email and text support service to deal with cases of alleged sexual assault, harassment and bullying.

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Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is also undertaking an independent review of Parliament House culture, after it was launched in March.

In an interim report published in July, the commissioner said 345 people had come forward to detail their experiences within Parliament House, including nearly 250 female participants.

Nearly three-quarters of them were current or former staffers of Commonwealth parliamentarians.

The final report is expected to be delivered to government this month.

It comes as Attorney-General Michaelia Cash announced on Thursday the launch of a national forum on the prevention, management and regulation of workplace sexual harassment.

Informing and educating businesses and workers about their duties and obligations to respectful workplaces was the focus of the discussions, hosted by work health and safety regulator Comcare.

"Education is a central to the government's action to implement the 'Roadmap for Respect: Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces'," she said.

Federal laws passing Parliament in September now give employees two years to make a complaint about workplace harassment they've experienced and make sexual harassment a valid reason to be fired.

The changes form part of the government's response to recommendations made by Ms Jenkins in her landmark respect at work report delivered last year.

49 of the 55 report's recommendations were not in the final bill, but only 12 were legislative. Some were funding recommendations or aimed at states and territories.

The Morrison government says it has fully funded or progressed 41 out of the total 55 recommendations.

Ms Jenkins told a government-organised summit the following week she would continue to push for additional rules, including a "positive duty" clause that would force employers to create safe workplaces and educate staff on appropriate behaviour.

"Of course I want all of [the recommendations implemented] but the one that is a missed opportunity, and is central, is the positive duty in the Sex Discrimination Act," she said.

"I would just say it's not off the agenda, even though it's frustrating.

"I'm not giving up."

The Morrison government has not ruled out the positive duty exclusion.

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