Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Payne) and the Minister for Finance (Senator Birmingham) to questions without notice asked by Senators McAllister and Pratt today relating to a Four Corners report and to grants and funding of government programs.

In recent years there has been a serious ongoing global discussion about the experiences and mistreatment of women at work and at home, and the stories that have arisen during the course of that discussion have been shocking to many but disappointingly familiar to many more. We know that discrimination and harassment of women at work is a problem in Australia and that it is a widespread problem. And it would be a mistake to believe that the parliament or any other work place is immune.

I want to acknowledge the bravery of all of the women who have told their stories as part of this ongoing discussion, including the women who told their stories last night. That cannot have been easy. These are important conversations that we need to have, and we need to listen. The claims of women should not be easily dismissed, as they may have been in the past. No matter what side of politics you're from, staff members working here should feel safe and supported. But, as suggested on last night's program, this may not be the experience of many working in this building. This parliament needs to commit to work in a bipartisan way to make this workplace better. This is a workplace that is significant to us, but it is significant to all Australians. It is the property of the Australian people, and we have an obligation to make it the best place it can possibly be.

Yet today we saw the Prime Minister, I think, precipitously, dismiss the claims that were made last night. Serious allegations have been raised by more than one party, but there was no acknowledgement from the Prime Minister in his statement today of the seriousness of these allegations or of the broader issue of sexual harassment and sexism experienced in workplaces across the country. The Prime Minister has indicated he intends to take no further action on some of the specific claims raised last night, and he suggested that these are issues of the past. Partisanship may feel comfortable to the Prime Minister and others in this building. It may feel familiar, but this is not a time for that. This is a time and an opportunity for the Prime Minister to show leadership. There is a chance to make the parliament a safer place for women to work. I hope that the Prime Minister, notwithstanding his comments today, will take that opportunity. It's important here in the parliament and it's important more broadly.

A survey by the Human Rights Commission shows one in three people have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the past five years. We've had a national inquiry conducted by the Human Rights Commission which surveyed 10,000 people, consulted with 600 people directly and made 55 recommendations, and, to date, we do not have a response from Mr Porter to that important report.

The process of responding is not straightforward. The process of changing culture is not straightforward. And it is true that the Australian Labor Party has been on a long journey, a journey I have been privileged to be part of over the more than 20 years that I have been a member of the Labor Party. It started, I think, in earnest and seriousness when we committed to increasing the number of women in our ranks through affirmative action. We have worked over a long period of time to improve our culture, to build a culture which is respectful and inclusive and where complaints are handled appropriately. There is no point in time when any of us can afford to say: 'Job done. That's concluded. That's finished.' This is an ongoing project to which we all have responsibilities, and any instance where a staff member or a parliamentarian feels disrespected or is unsafe should be addressed.

We want women and young people to look at our building and see a place where leaders act at their best. We want women and young people to come to this building and feel that they can contribute. We can't pretend that a transformation will be easy. In our case, it has taken deliberate effort over time by many, but this is something that is worth doing.