Mr DUTTON (Dickson—Leader of the Opposition) (09:20): I thank the Prime Minister for his words and I join him in acknowledging the tabling of the first annual report by the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce. On 5 March 2021 the former coalition government established an independent review into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. It did this with the support of the then Labor opposition and crossbenchers, and that review was led by Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins. On behalf of the coalition, I want to again acknowledge Ms Jenkins and her team for their work on the review. As she finishes her term as Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner in coming months, I thank Ms Jenkins for all of her work and wish her well for the future. Over a period of seven months, the review team heard from more than 1,700 individuals—women and men—in 30 organisations. The review found that, of people working in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces, 37 per cent had experienced bullying, 33 per cent had experienced sexual harassment and one per cent had experienced some form of actual or attempted sexual assault. They are disgusting and disturbing statistics, to say the least. As would be expected, such reprehensible behaviour had an impact on people's mental and physical health, their confidence and, of course, their ability to do their job. The report put forward 28 recommendations covering an array of areas, including, among other things, to improve institutional and individual leadership, to enhance reporting, to bolster respectful conduct, to review and amend relevant legislation and to expand support services. Recommendation 2 of the Jenkins report called for the formation of a Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce comprised of an independent chair and parliamentarians across the political spectrum. The task force held its first meeting on 4 February last year. Four days later, on the first parliamentary sitting date of 2022, the Presiding Officers delivered a joint statement of acknowledgement on behalf of the task force. It is today that we acknowledge the first anniversary of the statement. It's only appropriate we revisit the words and reflect on what has been achieved over the last 12 months. Without reading it in full, let me quote some key passages. The statement said: We acknowledge the unacceptable history of workplace bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces … We say, 'Sorry.' … … … We today declare our personal and collective commitment to make the changes required. We will aspire, as we should, to set the standard for our nation. The Jenkins report shone a light on repugnant behaviours, and since its release there has been a collective resolve to bring about necessary change. 'Set the standard' was an apt title for the Jenkins report. All who work in this parliament, be they elected representatives, our staff or public servants, do so in the service of our nation and the Australian people. Our service is a privilege, and with that privilege comes only the highest expectations from the people of Australia that we uphold the highest standards. Australians demand nothing less, and we should offer nothing less, because our character and conduct are connected with Australia's confidence in democracy and in the institution of parliament. I want to thank all of those members and senators who were involved in the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce during the 46th Parliament. Their work, among other things, saw the implementation of the following during the last parliament: an independent and confidential complaints mechanism for current and former parliamentarians and staff; a confidential 24-hour support service for current and former parliamentarians and staff; and new training and education programs for all our staff and parliamentarians to keep our workplaces safe and respectful. I also want to thank those today who are involved in the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce as part of the 47th Parliament. The current representatives are the members for Farrer, Newcastle and Warringah, and Senators Davey, Hume, Farrell, Gallagher and Waters. In particular I want to acknowledge the inaugural independent chair, Kerri Hartland, who finished her duties last month. Later this month, Ms Hartland will take up her new role as Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service. We on this side and across parliament join with all Australians in congratulating Ms Hartland on her thoroughly deserved appointment. On behalf of the coalition, we welcome the tabling today of the first annual report from the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce. The annual report provides an update on the progress made towards implementing the 28 recommendations of the Jenkins report. I have no doubt that all in this place and the Australian people will be reassured by the progress which has been made to date. As well as the ongoing commitment to making parliament a safer and more respectful workplace for all, the annual report notes that, of the 28 recommendations, 17 are in progress and several recommendations have ongoing measures. One is pending, four have been partly implemented, and six have been fully implemented. These six completed recommendations, Nos 1, 2, 17, 18, 24 and 27, have seen: the issuing of a statement of acknowledgement, from which I previously quoted; the establishment of the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce, which is supported by an implementation group; a review of the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984; legislative amendments to that act; amendments to the Age Discrimination Act 2004 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 to ensure protections against age and disability discrimination; and a review of the parliamentary sitting calendar and the order and routine of business. We also welcome the Prime Minister's motion, a recommendation from the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards. Recommendation No. 3 of that joint committee was that this House move a motion to endorse the draft codes of conduct, with the motion to be agreed to by the Senate. While this motion is just the next step in the process of establishing these codes, I certainly welcome the bipartisan position and the work on these issues from both the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards and the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce. In particular, I note the government's ongoing commitment to consult with colleagues and staff on the development of the responses to the Jenkins review. I acknowledge the work, in particular, of Senator Payne and my other colleagues in this regard. The Jenkins report highlighted the lack of diversity across Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. The report noted the importance of ensuring that parliament attracts and retains people who reflect the diversity of the Australian community. Our party has a proud history of parliamentarians who reflect the Australian community, and we are a party with a history of firsts. Dame Enid Lyons, who joined the Liberal Party upon its creation, was the first female member of parliament and the first woman in federal cabinet. Neville Bonner was Australia's first Indigenous parliamentarian, a proud Liberal. Ken Wyatt, a Liberal, was the first Indigenous person to sit in cabinet. Liberal Trent Zimmerman was the first openly gay member of parliament. Today, we have 10 women in the shadow cabinet, the same number as that which the government has in its cabinet, and 17 women altogether in our outer and assistant shadow ministry. Women are there because of their experience, their skills and their work ethic, and, as the Leader of the Liberal Party, I want to see more women and more people from diverse backgrounds, especially those with migrant or Indigenous heritage, join our party and our parliament. Unquestionably, a factor which can discourage women from pursuing political office is the reprehensible treatment that several female politicians have received online in recent times. Obviously, such behaviour is not limited to Liberal women, but women of centre-right views are subjected to some of the most disgusting vitriol online and on social media dominated by the extreme and vociferous Left. When women of a centre-right persuasion see the harassment that people like former MP Nicolle Flint and Senator Jacinta Price have been subjected to, even to this very day, no wonder they're hesitant to pursue a political career. If we want to have the best Australians to serve in this place, regardless of their politics, online reform is a societal issue the parliament needs to address as a matter of urgency. It's well and good to promote greater diversity in our parliament, and so we should, but if women, particularly of a centre-right political persuasion, are deterred from pursuing a political career then we will damage our democracy. The sanctimony is obvious from many in this debate because the most important diversity of all, the diversity of opinion, will otherwise simply not exist.