Wendy Askew (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to add my voice in relation to the matters raised by Senator Rice following yesterday's March 4 Justice. Senator Rice's motion covers a number of issues, so I intend to respond to each separately to ensure these important topics are not confused.

I'll start with respecting the thousands of Australians who participated in March 4 Justice, both here in Canberra and around the country. I attended yesterday's rally, along with a number of my coalition colleagues, as I believe everyone deserves to feel safe and supported in their workplace. That includes right here in our workplace, Parliament House. I also firmly support everyone's right to be heard and to protest against injustice. I must admit, however, that I have been disappointed with the way the important issue of workplace safety has been conflated with other matters. Minister Payne stated yesterday that March 4 Justice was an exercise in open democracy. That is true and it is something we can confidently and faithfully do here in Australia, and I acknowledge everyone who joined the events across the country to have their say. All Australian workplaces, including Parliament House, should be safe for all who work in them. This should not be politicised, and it must be the responsibility of all who work there, regardless of gender, to work together to provide that safety.

As you're aware, Madam Acting Deputy President O'Neill, and as mentioned earlier by Senator Stoker, over recent weeks the government has taken a number of steps to address the concerns raised by current and former staff and by parliamentarians. These include the establishment of an independent and confidential 24/7 telephone service to support current and former Commonwealth ministerial, parliamentary and electorate office staff and those who have experienced serious incidents in any Commonwealth parliamentary workplace and the announcement of an independent review into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces, to be led by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins. The Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Stephanie Foster, will assist and advise the Prime Minister on how to improve processes to support people, in particular staff, when serious incidents arise.

On the matter of ending gendered violence and sexual harassment, you'll recall that I asked the Minister for Families and Social Services about this topic in Senate question time yesterday. As part of the national plan outlined earlier by the Minister for Women, the third stage of the Australian government's Stop it at the Start campaign was launched last week to coincide with International Women's Day. Stop it at the Start aims to prevent family and domestic violence against women and their children. Ads for the third phase of the campaign began airing on national television on Sunday night. This is one of the several measures we have introduced to ensure members of the public have the tools and the confidence to call out disrespectful behaviour when they see it. Stop it at the Start challenges disrespectful attitudes and behaviours that can often be learnt in childhood and can escalate into violence if such behaviours are left unchecked. We're asking Australians to speak up if they see disrespectful behaviour. We want people to unmute themselves. Do not ignore disrespectful behaviour and definitely do not excuse it. Speak up and call out disrespectful behaviour.

Research shows that four out of five Australians agree that violence against women is driven by disrespectful behaviour. We all have a role to play in making sure that every one of us feels safe. This can be achieved by taking small steps and showing respect whenever we have the opportunity. As Senator Ruston said yesterday, we know that not all disrespectful behaviour results in violence, but all violence has started with disrespectful behaviour. Early intervention is key to making sure that all Australians feel safe in their own homes, their workplaces, their communities and online.

In relation to the Attorney-General, it has already been noted that it would not be appropriate to hold an inquiry because New South Wales police have closed the matter. Australian law enforcement agencies are responsible for investigating criminal matters. Under our rule of law, the presumption of innocence applies to all of us, regardless of the position we hold. It is up to law enforcement agencies and courts to determine such issues, not the parliament.

Finally, as we have dealt with matters relating to domestic violence, sexual assault and situations where people feel unsafe, I think it pertinent to end this debate with this: if anyone listening to the contributions today is impacted by sexual assault or by domestic or family violence, please call 1800RESPECT on 1800737732 or visit 1800respect.org.au. It is so important to reach out. We all deserve to feel comfortable and safe at work, at home and within our community. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.