Paul Starick: Scandalous behaviour in all-but lawless workplace

MPs have a responsibility to fix the terrible behaviour revealed in a review of their torrid workplace culture, Paul Starick writes.

South Australian Parliament during Question Time and tabling of the Equal Opportunity report. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dean Martin

Repeated episodes of scandalous behaviour within the halls of state parliament are revealed in a challenging review that exposes an all-but lawless workplace culture.

Stunningly, the Equal Opportunity Commission report reveals parliamentary staff and MPs are governed more by outdated conventions rather than the laws they make for other workplaces.

Released as federal parliament is consumed by debate over a toxic culture and rape allegations, the state review reveals the significant task ahead of both institutions.

Put simply, this is to drag into the modern era their hierarchical and patriarchal cultures – in which there is a distinct absence of HR policies and procedures common everywhere else.

In an alarming finding, the state report concludes “there is an absence of coherent, documented and applied policy, procedure and process addressing sexual and discriminatory behaviour applicable across the key workgroups in the parliamentary workplace”.

There are “several significant barriers” to reporting alleged discrimination and sexual abuse, some structural and others cultural.

These include “significant power disparities”, fear of victim-blaming, the prospect of politically charged accusations being exposed in the media and concerns about adverse impacts on careers.

Importantly, the Commission rejects the often-touted line that the parliament is just a workplace like any other. Rather, the report declares “power disparity is a key element driving sexual and discriminatory harassment”, noting the “unique and prevalent power dynamics in the parliamentary workplace”.

This unique environment creates a powder keg, which too often explodes to the detriment of the usually young women who are exploited and abused.

Six examples of sexual harassment involving alcohol consumption were uncovered, involving both MPs and staff as culprits. Thankfully, no rapes were revealed.

But in one example, interview participants stated: “You don’t want to be sitting next to him when he has had some drinks. And I learnt that one, never again … he put his hand up my skirt, really far up my skirt.”

In a less violent, yet disturbingly archaic example, the report reveals female staff have been told they are required to wear skirts in the parliamentary chambers, even though this is not a written policy.

The 16 recommendations focus on measures that most non-parliamentary workers would consider part of modern employment. For example, that women should be allowed to breast or bottle feed infants in the chambers and parental/carer’s leave arrangements be examined.

The Commission starkly spells out the critical challenge – that this report and subsequent reviews force the parliament to “progress in implementing recommendations and their effect for the purpose of making meaningful and lasting change”.

Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

Deputy Premier Vickie Chapman declared what the State Government and parliament can do is “put in place measures to ensure the South Australian parliament is a safer workplace for everyone”.

South Australian Senator and federal Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has been tasked with overseeing an independent review into workplace culture at Parliament House in Canberra and in electorate offices around the country.

He is expected to announce within days who will conduct the independent review, along with the terms of reference.

The state Equal Opportunity Commission report reveals the disgraceful standards to which parliaments have sunk and an absence of policy to repair them.

MPs have a responsibility to their electors – and themselves – to fix this mess.

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