Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The report of the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces by the Australian Human Rights Commission is due next week. To ensure that there is no delay in any action required to make Parliament House a safer place to work, will the Prime Minister commit to releasing the report in parliament on the day he receives it?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course the government will consider the report and then we will table it in the normal way that we consider any reports. I am pleased to say that, over the course of this year, we have worked very closely with Kate Jenkins. I thank her for the work that she has done, and I also thank the finance minister.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order? The Prime Minister is only 15 seconds into the answer.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In his answer, the Prime Minister went essentially, 'No.' This has been a bipartisan process under Commissioner Jenkins, and we're asking for it to be tabled here, so that—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. Is the point of order on relevance?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes.

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is being entirely relevant. I'm assuming that the Leader of the Opposition was asking about releasing it on the day, and the Prime Minister indicated that it would be released. The Prime Minister is only 40 seconds into his answer. The Prime Minister has the call.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I said that we would consider the report and then we would release it. The government, on these occasions, always—

The Leader of the Opposition may be seeking to politicise, again seeking to try and score political points in all the games he is seeking to play in Canberra this week. I'm not going to be distracted by the political games of a lifetime politician in the Leader of the Opposition, who is so focused on the issues and the games that are played here.

Opposition members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on my left!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The issue that was raised in the question, though, is a serious one, and the government has been considering it seriously from day one and we have taken action from day one: the work that is done through the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet; the establishment of the new counselling procedures and the 24/7 call line; and the establishment of the independent complaints process—a critical part of what was necessary to keep people who are working in this building safe in whichever role they work. We have been taking action and putting in place a much-improved environment in this place.

I look forward to receiving the Jenkins review and I look forward to us working together to take further action on it. I think that will be important. When we receive that review, we will make a decision about its release, as we do with every single report. But I would ask the opposition: if you want to work with us on this, then don't play political games in this place with it.