The Greens have called on all parties to pledge an end to Australia’s culture of sexual violence, harassment and predatory behavior by committing to the three asks outlined by Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins in their joint address to the National Press Club today.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
“Anyone who watched Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins at the Press Club today would have been been under no illusion about what needs to be done to end Australia’s culture of sexual violence, harassment and abuse.
“They asked for three things from this parliament: to take abuse in all its forms seriously, to invest in prevention education, and for structural change. These are things that women have been demanding for years, and we call on all parties to commit to making this happen.
“The Greens have already made that commitment. We’ve pledged to deliver the $1 billion a year that the women’s safety sector says it needs to fully fund frontline services, and we’ve announced that we’ll spend $477 million to support the four-year rollout of Our Watch’s Respectful Relationships education in all public schools.
“A billion dollars a year is a tiny price to pay to ensure the safety of Australian women at work, at home and in public. This government spend 10 times that on subsidies to tax-dodging fossil fuel companies!
“The government must also get on with implementing the remaining recommendations of the Respect@Work report, most critically the positive duty on employers to ensure a safe workplace, and enact all 28 recommendations of Set the Standard, to reform the toxic culture in parliament and parliamentary workplaces.
“Everyone deserves to be free from harassment, bullying and sexual assault. It’s just a tragedy that it’s taken the sacrifices and public re-traumatisation of brave women like Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins to wake many people up.
“The Morrison Government knows what needs to be done. Let’s get cracking.”