Australia to end parliamentary immunity

Australian parliamentarians will now be subject to regulations on sexual harassment at work, announced Thursday, April 8, the Conservative government trying to appease public anger after accusations of sexual assault in Parliament.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said his government will review gender discrimination legislation to hold parliamentarians, magistrates and civil servants accountable for harassing their colleagues in the workplace.

“It’s about putting everyone on an equal footing, as far as possible”, Morrison told reporters from Canberra.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also In Australia, mini government reshuffle amid sex scandals

Parliamentarians, judges and civil servants currently enjoy immunity from harassment in the workplace even though they may be subject to criminal prosecution for sexual assault.

” Serious misconduct “

Many voices have long denounced the sexist culture of Australia’s political class. This decision follows a report entitled “Respect @ Work” (respect at work) published last year following an investigation into sexual harassment. It also comes a few weeks after two resounding cases involving two ministers and which weakened the executive.

Article reserved for our subscribers Read also Australian justice minister accused of rape

A former government employee claimed she was raped in 2019 by a colleague in a minister’s parliamentary office, while the government’s senior legal adviser was revealed to be the minister accused of the 1988 rape of a teenage girl with whom he studied.

Michaelia Cash, who replaced the government’s top legal official last week, said legislative changes would include making sexual harassment in the workplace now a matter of law. ” serious misconduct “ and would be a valid reason for termination. The government also plans to extend the period during which a victim can report an incident from six months to two years, she added.

Read also In Australia, the government weakened by videos of sexual acts filmed in Parliament

Mr. Morrison has come under heavy criticism for failing to act on the 55 recommendations made in January 2020 in the Respect @ Work report. The Prime Minister dismissed the criticism on Thursday, saying his government has already pledged to fund several recommendations it deemed high priority.

“Last year, we focused on these very urgent needs to protect women at a time when they were very vulnerable during the Covid”, he underlined, congratulating himself on being able to “Address these issues in the longer term”.

The world