Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Well, that was interesting. Can I just say that I'm really proud to stand here as a member of the Albanese government. We are one of the most transparent, honest governments that we have seen in this country for the last 10 years. I have to say that. And you want to talk about black spots? Really? You had nine or 10 years to fix the black spots all around this country, and you come in here and talk about black spots, and you haven't fixed any of them. You're having a go at us, and you've had 10 years—10 whole years—to fix the black spots around this country, and you come in here and have a crack at us.

At the end of the day, I don't know how many of you on that side did not stand here and listen to the statement Senator Gallagher made yesterday. I want to read out the first four sentences of that. She said:

I want to begin by statement by saying that when it comes to responding to the serious allegations of rape, that occurred in a minister's office in this building, I have at all times been guided by the bravery and courage of a young woman who chose to speak up and about an alleged incident in her workplace. I have always acted ethically and with basic human decency on all matters related to Ms Higgins. I will continue to do so. I will always support women to come forward and I will always respect their confidence when it is sought.

Those were the first four sentences of her statement yesterday, and that is exactly what she has done.

And I think we really need to remember what this is all about. Senator Gallagher, in answering the questions both yesterday and today, has continually said—let's stop and think about this for a moment—that this is about the wellbeing of a young woman who stood up very bravely and was prepared to speak out. She was working in this building that we're all in today, in a Liberal minister's office, when she alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by her colleague. Who was the employer? The Morrison Liberal government. They let her down in the days and the weeks and the months that followed that allegation that she reported to them.

After two years, when the government and the party that she served did nothing, she made the courageous decision to speak up, to stand up. Those allegations were made public on her own terms. She has a right to that. She does not have a right to have her name drawn through the mud here every single day. She knew when she came forward that she would become a political target, but she did it anyway because she was determined to change the culture in this building. Senator Gallagher, as the Minister for Women, has done more than any other minister for women in the last 10 years to make sure that people are protected in this building and to make it a healthier and safer place for women. So let's not think about that.

We should be concerned about the long-term impacts that these actions—your actions—are having. Senator Gallagher, over and over and over, has said that she has been contacted by women's organisations about the effect of your actions on those women and their courage to stand up and speak out. That is not what this country is about. This is not what this government is about. We want those women to stand up. We want them to speak out, and we want them to get help. What this sends is a message about how they will be treated in this country if they do. So I would say: be responsible, and consider your actions, because those bear huge responsibilities and we don't want women to hide in the corner and not speak out about these issues. For too many years, that has happened. It's time it stopped. The actions around what's happening from that side every single day are not going to help that. We want these women to be able to stand up and to feel safe. Senator Gallagher, as one of the best ministers for women, is helping women to stand up and speak out. What you're doing is continually putting a lid on them and telling them to shut up.