Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to endorse the remarks of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and the views held by so many people who have appeared here today. Parliament House should be the safest workplace in the country. Unfortunately, it isn't, and most certainly it wasn't in the past.

In response to the brave voices speaking out about their experiences, the government commissioned a review, led by Kate Jenkins, into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. In total, 1,700 individuals participated in the Jenkins review; 490 people were interviewed and 302 submissions were provided. Those 490 people, no doubt, were a subset of so many more who could've also provided their views of this place both now and in the past. Those 490 people believed that they had a reason to speak out. Those 490 people believed that it was worthwhile making a statement, going out of their comfort zone, to express what they believed needed to change about this parliament.

The experiences people shared as part of the Jenkins review are truly disturbing and confronting. These experiences have no place in any workplace, let alone our parliament. I thank every individual who participated in the review. Your experiences have been heard and will be acted on. I join both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in saying sorry and acknowledging that we will do better.

I'm privileged to represent the people of New England and, more broadly, Australian people as an elected representative. We are in a unique position in that we can bring about change for the better, and there is no easier place in which to bring about change than the place where we work. With this privilege, all sides of politics have a responsibility that we must rise to and ensure that the horrific experiences, in this building, of many people are never repeated—because of the brave women who have spoken out on this issue of culture and their experiences in this building, about which they have confided in people so that something can be done about it. By doing this we are taking merely the first step to fix the culture and the broken system, to provide a workplace that is safe.

There are people who are watching here today—and I acknowledge Ms Higgins—but there are also those who are watching from home, from offices in this building and from a whole range of places, making sure that we make our first step in what are going to be many steps. The statement of acknowledgement is the first recommendation in the Jenkins review. There are 27 other recommendations as part of this review. Together we are committed to make Parliament House the safest workplace in the country and a reflection to our nation of a model workplace for us all to work in.

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