Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for your important words today and for the commitment that you show to this work every single day. Two years ago, this parliament acknowledged a hard truth: too many people who worked in this building, particularly women, were not being treated with respect and did not feel safe. It was not just a matter of individual behaviour; it was also a question of institutional culture. We made a commitment—all of us—to change that, and to change it for the better. We vowed to a set a higher, safer and more respectful standard. These regular updates to both chambers are designed to keep our efforts on track, to make sure we are accountable for our progress. There were 28 recommendations adopted by the former government with our bipartisan support. Thirteen of those recommendations have been fully implemented, and work is underway on the remainder.

On 1 October last year we established the statutory Parliamentary Workplace Support Service. This is an independent agency that provides human resources support to parliamentarians and staff. It's the first time a statutory body like this has existed. The government has also delivered legislation to implement recommendations from a review of the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984. That reform modernised the employment framework for parliamentarians and their staff. A key priority for all of us in the year ahead is the establishment of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission. Our goal is to work across the parliament to have that organisation up and running by 1 October this year. We saw last year, in the passing of the parliamentary workplace support bills, the valuable role of the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce and all the members and senators who serve on it. I thank all of them for the commitment and the constructive approach they've brought to their role, and I look forward to their cooperation in delivering this next set of reforms.

Throughout my time in this place, I have always had a deep respect and a genuine affection for this parliament and its traditions. That's why I want to see the culture here continue to change and improve—for the sake of this place and for the sake of the country all of us are here to serve. The more that parliament looks like modern Australia, the better. It's better for the culture and better for our democracy. This is a very special place to work for all of us. It's a great honour to be able to sit in this chamber or in the other place. Everyone here—the attendants, the clerks, the tabling officers, the cleaners, the security guards—are making a contribution to the nation. The parliament is a unique workplace, of course, but it must be a safe workplace. The culture here will never be normal or typical, but it can and must be respectful. That's a task for all of us. Setting the standard matters, and so does upholding it. Let us dedicate ourselves to that in the parliamentary year ahead. I thank the House.

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