Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The announcement of Grace Tame as Australian of the Year prompted the beginning of a movement across Australia. Her powerful rendition and the harrowing details of the grooming and repeated rape by her history teacher outraged Australians. Potentially unbeknown to her, her raw recount and her courage in giving a voice to the voiceless empowered women across Australia.

Women have been coming forward, we know, with their stories over the past few weeks, and whispers and stories are emerging of inappropriate behaviour in workplaces—not only this place; it is reverberating right across our country. It has boiled to a point where Australian women have said, 'Enough is enough.' Yesterday was an important moment in time, when women said, 'No more.'

We can't fix a problem that we don't discuss. Mr Morrison and his government seem completely tone deaf in not acknowledging that there is a problem. I joined the march, with many of my colleagues, to campaign for change. Unfortunately, Scott Morrison just doesn't get it; he didn't even show up. The Minister for Women didn't even show up. These scandals have dominated the headlines for almost a month now and I've found myself entering different stages of rage, disbelief, sadness and outright anger over how this has been allowed to happen.

What have we seen as a response from the Prime Minister? Cover-ups and deflections—not wanting to take responsibility for the behaviour of his members and staff, and not even making the time to attend yesterday's rally. What sort of message is he sending to Australians? There has been constant rhetoric that we must leave this up to the legal process, but this is a cultural problem. This is a problem: so much power is used, with enormous pressure placed on individuals to stay silent. It seems that Mr Morrison is happy with brushing these issues under the rug and burying them at all costs—ignoring women across the country who have legitimate grievances. He is one of the most powerful people within our democracy and he wouldn't even pay them the courtesy of meeting them on the lawns of Parliament House. What message does this send to the women and girls within our communities?

These scandals are coming at a time when Australians' satisfaction with democracy is at an all-time low. In 2019 just one in four voters trusted that people in government would do the right thing. This is a likely result of the increasing amount of scandals and rorts pouring out of this Liberal government. There has been an erosion of trust and confidence, and this has implications for our democracy. We need change, but it requires a collective input—not just from the top down. It needs to be a cultural shift. The process of transformation needs to be inclusive and all-encompassing, with a wide-sweeping reform agenda. It shouldn't just be about people feeling safe in instituting respect and a common level of behaviour. Accusations should not be stifled for fear of limiting one's career or having a political future sabotaged. Victims should feel safe to speak out and seek support without any negative repercussions.

Women in this building and elsewhere should not be looked at or viewed as prey. Every woman deserves respect and dignity, whether they're at home, in the workplace, in schools or on our streets. We need social change, and women are saying that enough is enough. There needs to be change. I am sick and tired of hearing about how brave these women who are telling their stories are; they shouldn't have to be brave. We should have a system where women are respected and where there are processes to protect them. The laws need to be changed. We need these women to come forward so that they can be helped with their trauma. Enough is enough.

It's not too much to ask for our Prime Minister to lead by demonstration that women deserve to be respected. They need to have dignity and to be safe. No more harassment, no more abuse and no more violence against women. Enough is enough.