An incumbent MP is calling for cooperation across the aisle to establish a parliamentary code of conduct, in a renewed effort to stamp out bullying and sexual harassment in Parliament House.
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This comes as a slew of independent female MPs team up - including Helen Haines, Zali Steggall, Kylea Tink, Monique Ryan and Rebekha Sharkie - to push for a code of conduct as recommended by the Jenkins review into parliament's toxic workplace culture.
The Jenkins review, triggered by the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, made 28 recommendations including a code of conduct to promote ethical standards for all employees and parliamentarians.
Independent MP Helen Haines, who proposed a bill for a code of conduct in 2020, said the code was a priority for the new larger crossbench but the whole parliament would need to be in consensus for it to be effective.
"I put forward a bill that I wanted to see debated and people could indeed debate it, amend it, improve it and get something that we'd all be really satisfied with," she said.
"I'm not bully minded about this, I think the best code of conduct we could have would be one whereby all members of parliament really contributed to what it should look like and what it should be."
The best code of conduct would be one whereby all members of parliament really contributed to what it should look like.
- Helen Haines
Ms Haines' bill predated the Jenkins report, released in 2021, which "shone a light on all sorts of issues across how our parliament works more broadly".
Zali Steggall, who was a member of the Jenkins report taskforce, said the influx of teal MPs sent a message to the major parties when it comes to community expectations about behaviour within parliament.
"I think there's still a way to go, some of the independents who have been elected will bring with them professional corporate experience where standards are much higher than in politics. And so they will bring a whole different set of expectations compared to politicians who have been career politicians or they have been stuck in a party system," she said.
"But the other women have been elected as independents. So they're not going to be able to go and change the culture within the party rooms, for example, that's going to have to come from within, each party has to do it themselves.
"I think Labor has tackled this problem, mind you, there are allegations that they need to resolve as well. But I think there's still clearly a perception that from the Coalition point of view, they've got a long way to go."
Newly minted MP, independent Kylea Tink, is pushing for a code of conduct to apply to everyone who works in Parliament House, not just politicians and staffers.
"I think it should be based on values that Australians expect us to model. Making sure we're very clear on what our responsibilities are being in that building and what roles we play, and by providing that sort of resource to everyone, you really do set a standard of behaviour that holds everybody accountable," she told ABC Radio National on Monday.
"The reality is just a code in itself isn't going to fix an environment that is fundamentally toxic. As someone coming into this environment, I'm incredibly aware, or very keenly aware, that culture change is one of the hardest things to bring about in any organisation.
"This is a new era in how Australian politics can be done. Arguably, the crossbench is almost a third force in parliament. And I honestly believe the focus of that third force is going to be opening up a conversation."
