Shift on Quotas for Women

Home , Marise Payne, Sussan Ley

AUTHOR: Katina Curtis SECTION: GENERAL NEWS ARTICLE TYPE: NEWS ITEM AUDIENCE : 69,863 PAGE: 1 PRINTED SIZE: 1182.00cm² REGION: VIC MARKET: Australia ASR: AUD 66,126 WORDS: 1210 ITEM ID: 1417070030

24 MAR, 2021 Shift on quotas for women

Age, Melbourne Page 1 of 4 Shift on quotas for women

Katina Curtis The Liberal Party’s long-held resistance to quotas to ensure women get rubbish and this crap for their entire elected is shifting after Prime Minis- lives, as their mothers did, as their ter Scott Morrison ﬂagged he is very grandmothers did,’’ Mr Morrison open to the idea and senior female said yesterday. frontbenchers said it was time they ‘‘We have been talking about it in were introduced. this place for a month, they have Separately, a hunt is on for Coali- been living with it for their entire tion staff involved in sharing videos lives.’’ of lewd acts performed in Parlia- Mr Morrison has also opened the ment House and the government way to stand Mr Porter aside, hav- has promised they will be sacked. ing taken advice from the Solicitor- Mr Morrison gave an emotional General. He is talking to his own speech in public and to the Coalition department ‘‘about how that sits party room meeting yesterday with ministerial standards’’ and in- about the ‘‘absolutely shameful’’ ex- tends to make ‘‘further decisions’’ plicit videos, and the treatment of about the West Australian MP’s women more generally. future. The Coalition has been reeling The Prime Minister said he was from sexual assault claims, includ- very open to the idea of introducing ing an allegation by former staffer quotas for female MPs. Labor intro- Brittany Higgins that she was raped duced quotas for women running in by a colleague in Parliament House. winnable seats in the mid-1990s, Attorney-General Christian Port- which has led to almost half the fed- er is on leave after vehemently deny- eral caucus being female compared ing an allegation he raped a 16-year- with a quarter of the Coalition. old girl when he was a teenager at a Ministers Marise Payne, Karen Sydney debating competition. Andrews, Sussan Ley and Melissa This week it was revealed that a Price spoke out in support of the staffer had ﬁlmed himself masturb- measure, along with other Liberal ating over a female MP’s desk. MPs as the party seeks ways to re- ‘‘These events have triggered, cruit more women into Parliament right across this building, and in- in an effort to change its culture. deed right across the country, ‘‘We tried it the other way and it women who have put up with this Continued Page 4

Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence. AUTHOR: Katina Curtis SECTION: GENERAL NEWS ARTICLE TYPE: NEWS ITEM AUDIENCE : 69,863 PAGE: 1 PRINTED SIZE: 1182.00cm² REGION: VIC MARKET: Australia ASR: AUD 66,126 WORDS: 1210 ITEM ID: 1417070030

24 MAR, 2021 Shift on quotas for women

Age, Melbourne Page 2 of 4 Lib resistance to quotas for women shifts

From Page 1 isn’t getting us the results we Ms Price said the party had to as saying women should be grateful would like to see, so I would like to have a serious conversation in- see us do better on that front,’’ Mr they were not shot for protesting. volving men and women about what But he said he had listened to the Morrison said, adding he thought quotas would mean, although she many other Liberals were coming stories of women over the past did not see them as the only answer. month. to a similar view. Liberal backbencher Katie Allen Ms Andrews is one of those chan- He spoke of women being too said she was open to quotas if they afraid to call out bad behaviour for ging her mind, saying the work done helped get more women ‘‘in the so far ‘‘hasn’t had the success that fear of losing their job, of being decision-making room’’ and Senator ‘‘overlooked and treated like they it’s needed ... Hollie Hughes said everything ‘‘I’ve always been quite anti- have nothing valuable to contrib- should be back on the table. Veteran ute’’. quotas because I felt that it was a MP Russell Broadbent, who has disadvantage to women because ‘‘I have heard about being mar- asked the Prime Minister to con- ginalised, women being intimidated, they would be perceived as only get- vene a summit of women’s organisa- ting promoted, only getting a job women being belittled, women being tions, thinks quotas are a good idea. diminished, and women being objec- because they were a number,’’ she However, some female MPs in- said. ‘‘We can’t continue doing the tified. That is not OK. Women who cluding Fiona Martin and Nicolle are afraid to walk to their car from same thing and expect a different Flint, believe reportable targets are outcome. So I’m certainly open to a the train, and they carry their keys a better option. ‘‘I didn’t come to in their hand like a knife for fear of discussion about quotas.’’ Canberra to fill a quota,’’ Dr Martin Ms Ley said that right now she being attacked. That is not OK. That said. is not acceptable.’’ was ‘‘for the outcome more than the The Liberal Party’s federal exec- mechanism’’ but she had called for a Colleagues in the party room said utive has recently backed measures they believed the Prime Minister debate on quotas for some time. aimed at increasing the number of ‘‘We need more women believing was now leaning into the issue and they can run for politics and know- women among its ranks. Half of the pointed out he had a history of ing they will be supported in doing new federal MPs elected in 2019 getting behind issues only when he so,’’ she said. were women. intended to act. Senator Payne, the Minister for ‘‘Progress has been made. A Coalition staffer was sacked on Women, said there were ‘‘significant However, much more needs to be Monday night for filming himself done,’’ a party spokesman said. performing a sex act over a female frustrations’’ in encouraging more Liberal MP’s desk, while another Liberal women into Parliament and Mr Morrison acknowledged that video showed him performing a sex the party should take a ‘‘good, hard many people had not liked or appre- act on a man in a parliamentary look’’ at quotas ‘‘because, clearly, ciated his own personal responses to there are ongoing issues that mean the allegations of sexual assault and office. The government is trying to in parts of our organisation we have harassment. He has come under find out the identities of other staff not been able to achieve the out- criticism first for saying his wife, reported by Ten News to have comes we want’’. Jenny, had told him to think about shared photos and videos of them- Ms Higgins as if she was one of his selves performing lewd acts in Par- daughters, and for making remarks liament House. in Parliament that were interpreted

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Finance Minister Simon Birming- ham, whose department is the formal employer of all political staff, said the only thing standing between other staff involved and being sacked was their identiﬁcation. He said colleagues were engaging with the female MP whose desk appeared in one of the videos and she had been made aware of her options if she wanted further support. The government’s formal re- sponse to Sex Discrimination Com- missioner Kate Jenkins’ landmark workplace sexual harassment re- port, Respect@Work, is now expec- ted within weeks. Ms Jenkins is also starting a re- view of the workplace culture in Parliament House, and outlined her plans to Coalition MPs yesterday. She met Labor MPs and staff last week and has made it clear her in- tention was not to investigate indi- vidual complaints but to outline how to create cultural reform.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison during question time yesterday. Inset: In conversation with Deputy PM Michael McCormack. Photos: Alex Ellinghausen

‘These events have triggered … women who have put up with this rubbish and this crap for their entire lives.’ Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

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