Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I say again: nobody tells me what to ask in question time. But is it any surprise that the shadow minister for women, when she hears in the media that there has been a sexual assault in Parliament House, a very serious allegation, and then also hears in the media that that has been inappropriately dealt with by the employers in this place, would ask questions? Is there any wonder? In fact, I would say I would not have been doing my job at all if I had not asked questions about this.

Can I take us back to the issue at hand here once again. Is it any wonder that only 13 per cent of sexual assaults in this country are reported to police when we see what has been happening in the media this week, with SMS messages leaked to the media and with private conversations taped and leaked to the media?

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