On parliamentary gender diversity, Australia has fallen from 15th to the 50th rank in the last 20 years. A recent report highlights the widespread improper behaviour prevailing inside the Australian Parliament. Hope the Morrison Government would bring stringent legislations to control rambunctious nature of man within the four walls of the Australian Parliament. It is an acid test for him as the general election is approaching the very next year
The recent cases of rising sexism in the Australian Parliament are uncovering a shocking reality in the top law-making body of the country. The larrikins in the power corridors must be retold that they are shaming the whole nation. At the very outset, we are to admit candidly that women still struggle for their space in public institutions and become victim of male dominance simply because of their gender. Once the much sought-after place of fame, prestige and reverence, the Australian Parliament has now turned into dark corridors of grotesque acts of sex by popularly elected representatives and their other male colleagues. Will the halls of power get back the honour and trust earlier reposed by the commoners, especially the Australian women, has remained a vexed question today in Australia.
The toxic “male culture” prevalent in the Australian Parliament is hitting the headlines around the world. Many say it is a “woman problem” in Australian politics. More than four thousand people work in the Australian Parliament on any given working day. And thousands more work on many other locations around the country to support the work of the Parliamentarians. Making politics a “Boys Club” will herald and construct a purely negative narrative in advanced democracies like Australia. Thus, women rights activists across the country expressed their concern about the prevailing male-dominated environment in public spaces. To them, it is purely a growing “institutional culture” that strongly supports male-bias in politics.
A latest report titled “Set the Standard: Report on the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces”, released by the Australian Human Rights Commission in November 2021, highlights the widespread improper behaviour prevailing inside the Australian Parliament. The report was commissioned by the Australian Government in March this year shortly after a former employee named Brittany Higgins’ story of being raped in the Parliament shocked the world. In fact, this happened inside a Minister’s office after a night out with Conservative Liberal Party colleagues in the year 2019. Her allegations are still under judicial scrutiny, and were followed by a litany of complaints of rape and sexual harassment against politicians and their staff members. Higgins, now a visiting fellow at the prestigious Australian National University, welcomed the report released by the Australian Human Rights Commission. She said: “I hope all sides of politics not only commit to but implement these recommendations in full.”
The report says one in three people, i.e. 40 per cent women working on the Parliament premises experience sexual harassment. Further, nearly one per cent of more than 1,700 people who participated in the enquiry process told that they had been the victim of attempted or actual sexual assault. This includes 63 per cent of the women parliamentarians of the country. One of the interviewees said, “Aspiring male politicians who thought nothing of in one case picking you up, kissing you on the lips, lifting you up, touching you, pats on the bottom, comments about appearance, you know the usual….the culture allowed it.” This shows how male counterparts normally take advantage of the helplessness of woman inside the Parliament.
The report authored by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins has recorded that many have shared memorable experiences of working in the Parliament. But some shared horrific experiences of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault. These workplaces are not safe environments for many working there. Mostly, these are caused largely because of power imbalances, gender inequality, exclusion, and a lack of accountability. This seven-month long investigation has revealed that such harrowing experiences of women, including the high-profile MPs and other staffers, leave a trail of devastation for individuals, the very working spirit and ethics of parliamentary democracy around the world.
Jenkins concluded that the prevailing situation has made the Parliament a hostile workplace for many employees, especially the young female staffers. The report has given nearly 28 recommendations. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Morrison said the government would review the recommendations, including the creation of an independent central complaints body, a code of conduct and alcohol policies. Sadly, he did not commit that his government would accept the recommendations.
Notwithstanding what is underway in Australian politics now, one must note that sexual abuse is nothing new in the recent history of the country. Way back in 2012, then Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard accused then Opposition leader Tony Abbott of displaying sexist behaviour towards her. What was shocking was that she was regularly targeted not only for being a woman but also for not being unmarried and not having children. Once in one of her famous speeches she directly targeted Abbott and said, “I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man; I will not. If he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he does not need a motion in the House of Representatives, he needs a mirror.”
This clearly indicates how socially inappropriate behaviour towards women have penetrated even the highest offices and the top echelons of society. Like Brittany Higgins, there are countless women who suffered sexual assault and rape in Australia. In fact, Attorney General Christian Porter was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in 1988 and this literally rocked the Australian Parliament only after a fortnight of Higgins’ revelations came out in public. Unfortunately, the Porter’s accuser committed suicide in June 2019. According to Australian law, Porter can now no more be dragged to a criminal court for prosecution. Another man named Frank Zumbo, a staffer to Craig Kelly, a Liberal MP, was alleged to have sexually abused nearly six young women. Surprisingly, one of the accused Anna Hobson, who was just 16-year-old when she joined Zumbo’s office as intern, said in an interview in the ABC channel of Australia that young female interns were needed to greet him with kisses and hugs on a regular basis. And she complained that Zumbo inappropriately touched her on many such occasions. Therefore, it has been observed that unwanted advances towards women staffers, colleagues and MPs are commonplace incidents in Australian Parliament.
Probably, large scale participation of women in public institutions is truly unacceptable to their male counterparts.
There were large demonstrations across Australia in recent times against rising sexism in the country. Interestingly some of the banners carried by the protesters said: “Patriarchy is the worst pandemic”; “Enough is enough”, etc.
It is appalling and disturbing at best. Way back in 2017, another #Me Too Movement just hit the Australian streets like this. These rallies mainly came out in top cities like Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart. These “March 4 Justice Demonstrations” were really unique. They all flagged the concerns of the country’s women in a way it was never done before. The protesters demanded purely independent investigations into all complaints of gendered violence. They also wanted the Morrison Government to fully implement recommendations made in the Australian Human Rights Commissions “National Enquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces 2020”.
Besides, they called for immediate action into gendered violence prevention and a nationwide Gender Equality Act. Only two years since then, Higgins came out with her unbelievable revelations that literally shook not only Australia but the entire world. No one knew till then that the working environment inside the Australian Parliament was so toxic, unsafe and abusive.
Today, Australia has quietly tumbled down the global ranking for women representation in Parliament. On parliamentary gender diversity, Australia has fallen from 15th to the 50th rank in the last 20 years, simply because of the toxic political environment for females accompanied by a slew of allegations of sexist bullying and misogyny within the precincts of the Assembly. The widely published report says that the environment within the Parliament is alcohol-soaked wherein powerful male colleagues blurred lines and crossed boundaries with impunity.
Morrison for now has tried to defend his government’s actions on rolling out gender equality measures in public institutions. Good that he has accepted gaps in handling the widespread dissatisfaction of the public over recent outburst on the growing sexist culture in the country. Thus allegations of mistreatment of women in public squares have become an accepted reality across Australia.
In a nutshell, this study has brought home the fact that gender inequality in workplace must be addressed. Besides, the very boisterous nature of the menfolk must be regulated. Because balancing gender gap may take years and generations. But in an advanced democracy like Australia, a frontrunning Commonwealth nation, must pay due respect to their womenfolk. It’s all about respecting the other half and sharing office space with dignity. Hope sooner or later, Morrison Government would be bringing stringent legislations to control rambunctious nature of man within the four walls of the Australian Parliament. It is an acid test for him as the general election is approaching the very next year.
(Dr Makhan Saikia has taught political science and international relations for over a decade in institutions of national and international repute after specialisation in globalisation and governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He is the chief editor of the Journal of Global Studies, an international research journal)