Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, along with other political leaders, has apologised for the “terrible things” that happened in parliament workplaces and acknowledged a culture of bullying, abuse, harassment “and in some cases even violence” built up over decades.
Morrison’s apology on Tuesday followed a landmark review by Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, in 2021 into federal parliament’s culture. The Jenkins review, which recommended a significant overhaul of the workplace culture, found one in three staffers interviewed had been sexually harassed.
The inquiry was constituted after a former government staffer, Brittany Higgins, alleged she was raped by a colleague after hours in a Parliament House ministerial office in March 2019.
Morrison was widely criticised for his perceived mishandling of the aftermath of Higgins’ allegation which triggered a broader #MeToo reckoning in the Australian parliament and led to public rallies.
Morrison’s standing with female voters took a significant hit. The prime minister attempted to recover from the damage by introducing more workplace support for political staff and by reshuffling his cabinet to amplify a female “perspective” within the conservative Coalition government.
On Tuesday, the prime minister used a formal statement of acknowledgement in the lower house to apologise directly to Higgins and praise her “courage”.
“Parliament can’t be a place of cruelty,” Morrison said. “Nor can it be a place where incivility towards each other is somehow proof of some strength.”
The prime minister said the federal parliament needed to adhere to the highest workplace standards – and be “a place where any Australian can aspire to work and know they can work safely”.
The sentiments were echoed by the leader of the National party, Barnaby Joyce, the opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, the leader of the Greens, Adam Bandt, and by members of the crossbench.
Albanese paid tribute to Higgins, who watched proceedings from the visitor’s gallery in parliament. The Labor leader said she had “torn through a silence that has acted as the life-support system for the most odious of status quos”.
But there was controversy the evening before the formal apology was delivered.
Higgins and other former staffers who had campaigned for an overhaul of the toxic culture in the preceding 12 months were initially not invited to attend parliament for the statement. A surge in Covid infections has restricted public access to the building. But an invitation was issued at the last minute.
The Jenkins review made 28 recommendations. The first was that Australia’s political leaders make a public statement to acknowledge “the impact of the misconduct on individuals and the lack of action taken in the past” and “outline the institutional leadership commitment to change with shared accountability for progress”.
The government has signalled it will introduce legislative changes recommended by Jenkins in the remaining parliamentary sitting weeks before Australians go to the polls likely in May.
The Jenkins review found gender inequality in the political ecosystem was a key driver of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault within commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. It found that power imbalances and the misuse of power were among “the primary drivers of misconduct”.
A survey undertaken to inform the review found 37% of respondents in parliamentary workplaces had personally experienced bullying and 33% had personally experienced sexual harassment – with 1% experiencing an actual or attempted sexual assault. 84% of people who experienced sexual harassment did not seek support or advice.
The report recommended a new code of conduct for parliamentarians and their staff to help normalise employment conventions. Jenkins said the new code should address current legal requirements that prohibit bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and workplace discrimination.
• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
