Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

For many Australians it would seem completely illogical that, up until yesterday, there was no binding code of conduct for parliamentarians, their staff or people visiting a parliamentary workplace. While I don't have specific figures, I dare say most Australians in the real world are bound by some form of code of conduct, wherever they may find themselves, be that a work environment, schools or even in public venues, where we are often asked to abide by a set of behavioural standards or face expulsion.

Certainly for me, as someone who's worked for over 35 years now, I can only think of two occasions where I was not required to acknowledge and sign a binding code of conduct as I commenced work. Both of these occurred when I was much younger, working in casual jobs for small businesses in a small country town. While I wasn't asked to sign anything, the expectations of my behaviour were certainly made very clear to me both verbally and through the actions of those around me. Time, though, has moved on since those experiences of mine, and, given the great value offered by common codes of conduct and their ubiquitous nature across all environments, why should it have been the case that that same expectation was not, until now, applied to this place?

The Respect@Work report completed by the Australian Human Rights Commissioner in March 2020 was a milestone moment not just for our country but also for this place. Its findings shone a light on the inadequacy of our current legal and regulatory system in Australia to deal with the prevalence and pervasiveness of workplace sexual harassment. It particularly identified and called out the weaknesses in this place, a place which should be one which consistently models the highest standards of behaviour, and the role the Set the standard report has subsequently played in moving this place's culture in a new direction should not be underestimated.

A survey conducted at the time as part of the report found that one in three people working in this building had personally experienced sexual harassment at work and that over half had experienced at least one instance of bullying, harassment or assault. Those numbers are obviously unacceptable. As the highest office holders in the land, federal politicians must be held to the highest standards.

For me, the delivery of the Respect@Work report was a galvanising moment. It followed what I saw as the appalling treatment of our first female Prime Minister, the Hon. Julia Gillard; Brittany Higgins's brave expression of her experiences; Julia Banks's accounting of her time in parliament; reports of Bridget Archer's treatment within parliament; and Annabel Crabb's series Ms Represented. Having witnessed all of these things and learning of the findings of the Set the standard report, I couldn't escape a feeling that I had to do something. So I decided, as someone who had been voting for over 30 years, I had to accept the role that I'd played in enabling it and find a way to change it irrevocably for the better.

It was at this time that some people within my community approached me to see if I would run as an Independent for the seat of North Sydney. While it was not something that I had ever foreseen myself doing, I said yes, not because I had any ideas of grandeur or entitlement—in fact the idea, then and even today, sometimes scares me—but because I believed that if I could help drive a higher-profile discussion about the reform needed at this level simply by campaigning on this and other topics then the personal cost of saying yes would be worth it. It's within this context, then, that I committed that if elected as the member for North Sydney I would do whatever I could to ensure the recommendations of the Set the standard report were realised.

At this point, I want to sincerely thank the far too many courageous victims-survivors and everyone who bravely shared their stories to inform this important work. I also want to thank the commissioner, Kate Jenkins, for her fearlessness. The Respect@Work report and the Set the standard report were both developed following a long and thorough process, finally bringing to light what many women have known to be true for decades. We need to do better in workplaces right around the country, including this one.

It is with great pride that I stand here today to welcome the motion moved in the House yesterday that saw our parliament unite to endorse the draft behaviour standards and codes of conduct as presented in the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards Final report last year. I had the privilege of being part of that committee, and I would like to especially thank our chair, the Deputy Speaker and member for Newcastle, Ms Sharon Claydon; our deputy chair, Senator Marise Payne; and all of my committee colleagues, including the member for Lalor, Ms Joanne Ryan, who was recently in the chamber this morning, for their time, dedication and fierce advocacy.

Working together, this committee developed behaviour standards which set clear expectations of upholding laws that support safe and respectful workplaces, including laws regarding bullying, harassment, sexual harassment or assault, and discrimination in any form. But merely obeying the law is not going to be good enough. The committee set clear guidelines which focus on ensuring respectful behaviour, encouraging diverse perspectives and, recognising the power and influence we have, ensuring not to abuse it. These documents were not developed lightly. They have been scrutinised, reviewed, debated, rewritten, reviewed and then presented. It has taken literally hundreds of hours over a very short period of time, and it says everything about this process, the leaders of that committee and the way this House is now behaving that we were ultimately united and the report was presented unanimously.

Our parliament has been considering codes of conduct for almost half a century, with a report in 1975 noting that a 'meaningful code of conduct should exist' in this place. Since then, many members in this place have tried, but they have failed. At the last election people made it clear that they expect and demand a higher standard of conduct from their MPs, and, as a member of the committee which developed the draft code of conduct, I'm proud to say we have now finally delivered.

With over 4,000 people working in Parliament House on any given sitting day and thousands more working in the country across electoral offices, all the people in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces must be safe. It was the courage of Brittany Higgins and many before her that resulted in the Jenkins review. Its recommendations led to the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce and the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards. Yesterday's announcement in parliament that the draft code of conduct prepared by the committee will be endorsed and adopted is a win for all those who want to see politics done differently.

Like all other members of the committee, I strongly support the recommendation to establish a confidential, independent and serious investigative body with an effective sanctions regime to drive long-term cultural change. I am confident that this work is being done and will be realised. This body will have teeth. There will be tangible consequences such as sanctions and possibly even suspension. But it must be noted: we are not waiting for the establishment of that body. We will move ahead with these new expectations of behaviour from today.

I was sent by the people of North Sydney to help change the culture in our federal politics for the better, knowing full well that changing any culture is always one of the hardest things to do in any environment. But, in the last 24 hours, we have taken one of the most significant steps we can towards change. We have adopted a common language of standards that we can expect of each other, and we have committed to holding not only ourselves to those standards but being brave and courageous in holding our peers to those same standards as we interact with them. The climate in Canberra is changing, and the people of North Sydney can be proud of the role that we've played in moving this agenda forward and in the commitment we will take forward, ensuring we remain a positive and supportive voice in this environment.

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