WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet | CONTACT
The country has breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning after confirmation came through that our politicians have taken the Jenkins report in and are going to be better.
Concerns that the report will generate a few headlines before being chucked in the back cupboard have been eased after a Liberal Party Senator allegedly made dog noises at Jacqui Lambie in the Senate yesterday.
Senator David Van denies making animal noises during Lambie’s question, but Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Labor Senate Leader Penny Wong were quick to raise a point of order about the behavior in question.
Scott Morrison said he was disappointed in the behaviour, but as is almost always the case, is yet to hold the bloke accountable for his actions.
The exemplary conduct from the 57-year-old male Senator came on the same day that the Jenkins report confirmed an appalling amount of sexual harassment, bullying etc take place in our nation’s political capital.
Released yesterday, the report found that at least a third of staff at Parliament House had experienced sexual harassment with many of the issues put down to “power imbalances, gender inequality and exclusion, and a lack of accountability.”
Handed down by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, the report was waved around by Prime Minister Morrison with some surprisingly gaffe-free comments about how cooked the culture is.
However, as is often the case with these things, very little was actually committed to, with no action promised to remedy the disgusting behaviour in the workplace that makes the laws the rest of us are supposed to live by.
But, thankfully the likes of David Van have shown the nation that our politicians are learning that their behaviour is appaling and unacceptable.
“Growling at a woman while she is trying to ask a question in the Senate is a sign that things are changing,” explained an anonymous political staffer to The Advocate today.
“The fact that a bloke would dehumanise a woman in the public eye fills me with hope for a future”
“Because you just know that behind closed doors his behaviour the would be exemplary”
“Exciting times ahead”
