Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for the question and welcome those representatives from the unions joining us today. I also acknowledge Kate Jenkins, Kerri Hartland and the team supporting the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce. Of course, Kate Jenkins is the author of the Set of standard report, and it's so fabulous to have her here as well.

Today we acknowledge the one-year anniversary of the Set the standard report and its findings that Parliament House was lagging behind the rest of the country when it came to a safe workplace for staff and for women in particular. It was all there: gender inequality with a lack of women in senior roles; a lack of accountability in systems; a work hard, play hard culture that left some, particularly young staff and young women, vulnerable to exploitation and sexual misconduct; and high levels of power indiscretion in relation to employment, combined with insecure employment. I would like to thank all of those current and former Parliament House staff who came forward to talk about their experiences working in parliament. Many of those experiences are harrowing, and speaking out must have required enormous strength and bravery.

A centrepiece reform from the report is the establishment of a new HR entity body for parliamentarians and their staff to provide independent advice and support and drive an agenda of professional development and best practice, training and continuous improvement for staff. The recommendation flowed from the Set the standard report, and staff across the parliament have been consulted on how this new HR body should operate in practice. I would like to acknowledge the work of Meg Brighton and her team in the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, which has made such a difference in such a short amount of time. We know staff trust it, they like using it, and it's been a really welcome addition to the infrastructure here.

Cultural change in parliament will only happen when we all work together. I would like to acknowledge Senators Farrell, Hume, Davey and Waters for their work and joining us on the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce.