Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for the question. Ensuring our parliament reflects the community we serve is critical to becoming a model workplace. The parliament is a different place from a year ago, with the highest number on record of women across both houses: 38.4 per cent in the House of Representatives and 56.6 per cent in the Senate. There are now 10 women in cabinet, the highest number ever to hold positions in an Australian cabinet. At the heart of the continuing work to become a model workplace is the experience of staff. Thank you to all who continue to advocate for change and to your respective unions. Labor strongly supports the creation of a staff advisory body to support the multiparty Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce and is committed to ensuring that staff voices are heard.

Yesterday the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards tabled their report on codes of conduct. This represents a historic milestone for the parliament, and I acknowledge the Deputy Speaker in the other place for her leadership as chair of the joint select committee.