Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Everyone deserves to be safe in their workplace, but sexual harassment and violence don't just happen in the workplace; they have happened in every place in society since the beginning of time, and they have to stop. Every woman deserves the right both to feel safe and to be safe, wherever she is, always.

The Women's March 4 Justice today highlights exactly that need for change. I congratulate every person that is marching today, whether it is here in Canberra or right around the country. We need to hear their sensible requests, but, more than that, we need to act on their call for action. The warm winds of change for women are now howling through the corridors of power, and it is not a moment too soon. That's why I implore the organisers of today's protest to reconsider their decision and meet with the Prime Minister today to enact change through government in the heart of our democracy.

I encourage everyone to read the Respect@Work report undertaken by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, and called for by Kelly O'Dwyer, my predecessor. I'm pleased that the federal government has already committed $2 million to its implementation. I'd like to see more. I look forward to the government's formal response to the 55 recommendations of the report and to the independent inquiry into our parliament's workplace that the Prime Minister has asked Kate Jenkins to lead. The time for change is now. The time for us all to act is now.

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