Sex Discrimination Commissioner says review into work culture at parliament will ensure assault allegations aren’t disseminated in media
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins says her review into parliament work culture can ensure assault allegations aren’t disseminated in the media.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins says an independent review into workplace culture at federal parliament will ensure allegations of assault are not disseminated through the media.
Ms Jenkins will head the independent inquiry into workplace at Parliament House and its process of handling allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
The Morrison government established the inquiry in response to the 2019 rape allegation by former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins. Allegations of sexual assault have engulfed the Coalition in recent weeks, with a historic rape claim against Attorney-General Christian Porter set to stall the government’s industrial relations bill.
Ms Jenkins said the inquiry would investigate issues in parliament that would also resonate in other workplaces.
“We have the opportunity, with cross party support, to really map out a future where we won’t be having to read in the paper, a whole range of issues that are coming to light from day to day,” she told Sky News on Sunday.
In the wake of the rape allegation by Ms Higgins. the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw warned MPs about delays in reporting allegations of criminal conduct. He also said disseminating allegations through channels such as the media could impede police investigations.
Ms Jenkins said the independent review would build on the national inquiry she led last year into sexual harassment in workplaces.
“We‘ve learned a lot about how to improve the workplace and I think that then opens the door for parliament to look at its own particular circumstances, and see how that can improve,” she said.
Ms Jenkins said the review would consider how to make workplaces “more broadly welcoming” and how to respond when an allegation is raised.
“I think we’ve been hearing of people have been speaking out now in the media about how fearful they are to speak out within parliament. And I think that we need to change that,” she said.
“We will draw on things that we‘ve learned in other sectors and through the national inquiry. So there’s a really good basis for us to come up with some great solutions.”
The review will hear from current and former staff and MPs, including those say they were assaulted or experienced harassment while working in parliament.
The consultation to establish the inquiry involved bipartisan advice and support as well as expertise from figures working in the field of sexual harassment and assault support.
An update into the inquiry will be provided in July and a final report is due in November.
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