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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-17 Daily Xml
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South Australian Parliament Workplace

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (16:19): I move:

That this council—

1. Commits itself to leading cultural change within the parliamentary workplace;

2. Welcomes the recommendations made in the Equal Opportunity Commission’s Review of Harassment in the South Australian Parliament Workplace;

3. Declares that sexual and discriminatory harassment will not be tolerated in the parliamentary workplace; and

4. Takes the necessary action to implement Our Watch’s Workplace Equality and Respect Standards.

The motion I put to our chamber today symbolises our version of the March 4 Justice movement. In this parliament patriarchal structures continue to flourish and the voices of women remain unheard.

For years, the calls for help from women who have walked these hallways have been ignored, silenced and swept under the carpet or, worse, met with empty rhetoric and broken promises of change. The toxic culture in this workplace has been brewing since its establishment. This toxic culture means that issues that heavily affect women, such as discrimination, harassment and abuse, are never properly addressed.

This behaviour has not gone unnoticed. The public's attention is on us, and they recognise that this parliament has failed to address issues within our own workplace. They will hold us to account. Women supporting the movement know that our behaviour in here does not just hurt us in this place, it hurts half of the population. The public expects us to uphold the same standards we have for them, and we are failing them.

How can we legislate and require workplaces to uphold standards and practices when we do not hold the same standards for ourselves? The double standards are untenable. This parliament has never been an accepting or safe workplace for women. Any changes implemented have been hard fought for. Nothing has been given to us women on a plate. This motion signals that we, the women of this place, are collectively over it.

Whether we work as members, as staffers, within catering, building services, Hansard, the clerks' office, research offices, or wherever within this building, all women must be treated with respect and be able to come to work without fear. We are over the misogynistic behaviour and the obvious power imbalance between men and women and note that it actively perpetuates the inappropriate behaviour that we are all witness to.

I acknowledge the Deputy Premier from the other place for introducing a motion to address the implementation of the recommendations through a committee. The motion will create checks and balances for the implementation of the recommendations. It is not enough, we need systemic change to the social attitudes of people in this place. We must do more.

It should not be the responsibility of the public to tell us what is wrong with our workplace. We should be leading the social change; instead, we are lagging behind. Our movement in this place is strengthening and we will continue to fight for equality, not just in this place but in all workplaces.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. D.G.E Hood.

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