Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The allegations of abuse, assault and bullying exposed yesterday in the Set the standard report were revolting and a stain on this place. It took the courage of Brittany Higgins to speak out publicly about an alleged rape in one of your own minister's offices, and the public outcry and condemnation, for you and your government to take action, despite a number of people within ministerial offices knowing about the allegations for nearly two years.

Will you implement in full, and without delay, before the next election, all the recommendations of the report?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question, and I share her view about the abhorrent nature of the practices that have taken place in this building. The member is fairly new to this building—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was simply saying that she would also be aware, as a result of the Jenkins review—and I commend Commissioner Jenkins for the work that she has done—that she is talking about practices and behaviour that have been taking place in this building for a very long time and that have been abhorrent.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Whitlam is warned.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the Jenkins review, and I was very pleased to stand yesterday with the Minister for Women and the Minister for Finance and respond to that report and welcome it. I look forward to working through the multiparty process to ensure we can follow through on the report that was provided. I share the view that the Labor Party put forward in their statement by Senator Farrell, the member for Sydney and the shadow minister for finance, where they said:

… Labor will carefully consider its findings and recommendations, and most importantly—we will consult with our staff on our response.

I think that's an appropriate response. It mirrors the response of the government, the Liberal Party and the National Party. I'm assuming the Greens and other parties represented in this place hold a similar view.

This whole parliament has this problem. Everyone in this building has this problem. I think Commissioner Jenkins has done an outstanding job in identifying many of the drivers that have led to this behaviour, not just recently but over a long period of time. Those of us who've been in this building—and I have absolutely no doubt the women who have served in this building, whether as members or senators or staffers, or those who have been in the media gallery or other parts of this building, because the commissioner looked at all of the employees of this building and surveyed all of the employees of this building, and she has laid out, I think, a very good and broad-ranging report which addresses all of the issues that we will need to take forward. I look forward to working as we've done. We've put in place the independent complaints process and we've put in place the counselling services, already acting on the Foster report, which I commissioned immediately at that time.

This is not a matter for partisan politics and it is not being pursued as a partisan political matter by the Leader of the Opposition. I welcome that and I look forward to working with him and all the other members of this place so we can take this report forward for the sake of all who work here now and all who will work here in the future.