Respectful workplace training for politicians' staff will be rolled out by the end of the year, a new tender has revealed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The new training package comes after calls from political staffers and public servants demanding "consequences for bad behaviour".
The move is one of a series of response actions initiated following the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in the ministerial wing of Parliament in 2019, revealed publicly earlier this year.
It also follows revelations this month by former Liberal MP Julia Banks that a senior minister ran his hand up her inner thigh while in the Prime Minister's suite.
Political staffers will be given a two-hour face-to-face workshop using practical workplace scenarios. The tender notes the workshops "may become mandatory" at a later date.
Chiefs of staff will be given a one-hour session that MPs may also "optionally attend".
Speaking at an event in Canberra for her new book about her experience in Parliament, Ms Banks said "pollie-school" training for new MPs was little more than identifying where toilets and other features of the building were located.
"We're talking about workplace training and induction as if it's some new phenomenon, and they're just catching up," she said.
"Once we have gender-equal leadership in our Parliament, it will make a difference."
READ MORE:
Malcolm Turnbull was mocked for announcing a "bonk ban" between ministers and their staff, Ms Banks said, but changing the ministerial code of conduct set a benchmark. She said Prime Minister Scott Morrison was "ducking and weaving, [announcing] internal inquiry after internal inquiry" without any intention of following through.
Senior public servant Stephanie Foster was asked to review Parliament's processes for serious incidents, finding that staffers who report harassment fear being seen as "troublemakers".
She recommended training to equip parliamentarians, managers and staff to "understand their workplace health and safety responsibilities, to provide them with the tools to promote safe and respectful workplaces and to respond appropriately to instances of unacceptable behaviour".
The inquiry found half of all the complaints brought to the Department of Finance since July 2017 related to the conduct of MPs.
Parliament needed "clearly articulated leadership commitment and actions in relation to promoting a safe and respectful workplace", Ms Foster wrote.
A separate inquiry into Ms Higgins' rape allegation by top public servant Phil Gaetjens has not reported back, while Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is expected to provide an interim report on Parliament's workplace this month.
Labor's spokeswoman for women, Tanya Plibersek, said Labor was already rolling out training for senior staff.
"Labor has called on the government to go a step further and make training mandatory for parliamentarians," she said.