Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Let's just be really clear: this issue is not about crossing the floor. It is about respect for women, about equal treatment for women—not just care, but respect. We can debate the policy in this place, about various positions on either side of the chamber, but the core disrespect for women shown by the Prime Minister is the issue that we are discussing right now. This issue is about the appalling double standards applied by this Prime Minister when it comes to the way he treats the men of his government and the way he treats the women of his government.

Tasmanian Liberal Bridget Archer, the member for Bass, was singled out not for having the audacity to stand with the opposition, the crossbenchers and the Australian people in calling for a national integrity commission but for being a woman. She was marched over to the PM's office against her wishes. What was the response to other members of the government? When wayward South Australian Senator Alex Antic crossed the floor to vote to undermine public health messages, was he marched immediately over to the PM's office? No. Apparently, according to the PM, Senator Antic was just expressing his right to be an individual. It's the same with two Queensland renegades, Senator Gerard Rennick and the member for Dawson, George Christensen, who both crossed the floor to vote with One Nation to undermine the hard work of health officials. Were they immediately marched directly to the PM's office? No, they were not. By her own admission, Bridget Archer had asked on numerous occasions to have the conversation postponed—not cancelled—until she was able to gather her thoughts. She knew she had to talk to him but she clearly needed some time to collect herself. This simple request was denied. Her wishes were ignored.

Former Liberal MP Julia Banks has previously called out this exact type of behaviour, calling it 'menacing, bullying and calculating'. Grace Tame has labelled this treatment as 'textbook coercive control'. So now we add Bridget Archer to the list of those who've seen recent displays of blatant disrespect: Grace Tame; Brittany Higgins; Julia Banks; Christine Holgate; Sam Maiden; the women of the March 4 Justice. What we are seeing, over and over again, is that, regardless of the situation, the PM has consistently refused to respect women's views, refused to respect women's voices and refused to respect women's requests. This pattern of behaviour, this culture within our current government, is appalling. And that is what we stand up against, here, today—that behaviour, disrespecting the women across Australia.

Question agreed to.