Independent Review into Parliamentary practices and procedures to support workplace culture

The Report mentioned on this page contains personal insights of people who have experienced workplace discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying. Some individuals may be impacted by the content contained therein and are encouraged to access support services.

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au
1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732 www.1800respect.org.au
Sexual Assault Support Service (SASS) 1800 697 877 www.sass.org.au
Human Resources (for Department of Premier and Cabinet staff) (03) 6232 7895 HR@dpac.tas.gov.au
Converge International – Employee Assistance Provider (for State Service employee) 1300 687 327 eap@convergeintl.com.au
If you are in immediate danger, please contact Tasmania Police on 000.

I welcome the release of Motion for Respect – Report into Workplace Culture in the Tasmanian Ministerial and Parliamentary Services, prepared by Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt, available here.

On 3 March 2021, at a time when Federal and interstate parliaments were experiencing serious allegations of workplace harassment discrimination and toxic cultures,  I wrote to then-Premier Peter Gutwein, the Leaders of Labor and the Greens, and the Presiding Officers of both chambers of Parliament, proposing that we establish a proactive independent inquiry into our State’s parliamentary workplace culture. I was very pleased that Premier Gutwein responded immediately to that suggestion, as did the other Parliamentary leaders (correspondence below).  

An independent review was commissioned to be undertaken by Sarah Bolt, Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner.

All Parliamentary leaders have a positive duty of care to ensure all staff working within Parliament, political and electoral offices have a safe workplace with effective human resource policies, complaints procedures and support structures.  Every person deserves to be treated with respect and experience safety at work.

I pay tribute to the brave staff who came forward to participate in this important and unprecedented review into our parliament’s workplace culture — for some, it could not have been easy to do so.

Tasmanians expect high standards of leadership from their state elected representatives, and rightly so. Sadly, these expectations have fallen short. The report contains some confronting findings and makes a series of recommendations which provide a clear road map to make significant improvements.

Clearly this Report is not the end, but merely the beginning of the next vital stage in which each and every one of us, MPs and staff, must play our part in building a safe, inclusive and accountable workplace. 

I would like to thank the Independent Reviewer, Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt, and her team for their diligent work undertaking this inquiry.

In anticipation of positive progress, I also thank the leaders within Parliament for their commitment to implementing the recommendations of the report and upholding our shared duty of care to all who work in our Parliamentary workplace.

See today’s joint statement from members of the Review’s Working Group.

Timeline of the Bolt Independent Review into Tasmanian Parliamentary practices and procedures to support workplace culture.

• 2 March 2021 – Review of Harassment in the South Australian Parliament Workplace 2021 Report, released.
• 3 March 2021 – Meg Webb MLC writes to Premier Gutwein proposing an independent inquiry be established as a ‘proactive health check’ into Tasmania’s Parliamentary workplace culture.
• 4 March 2021 – Premier Peter Gutwein announces in Parliament he intends to convene a meeting with Party Leaders and Independents to pursue initiative proposed by Ms Webb.
• 5 March 2021 – Commonwealth government establishes the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces (the Jenkins Review), undertaken by the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Ms Kate Jenkins.
• 24 March 2021 – initial meeting of the Workplace Practices and Procedures Working Group (the Working Group) – an informal cross-party working group consisting of Assembly and Legislative Council Liberal, Labor, Greens, and Independent MPs. Purpose of this informal bicameral multi party working group is to support the work of the Independent Reviewer and to assist in implementation of review’s eventual recommendations.
• May 2021 – early state election.
• 27 July 2021 – Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt appointed to undertake the Review as the Independent Reviewer.
• 28 July 2021 – Premier Peter Gutwein announced appointment of Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt as the Independent Reviewer, and released Terms of Reference for the Independent Review.
• 23 November 2021 – Independent Reviewer, Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Sarah Bolt, announces opening of Survey into Workplace Culture in the Tasmanian Ministerial and Parliamentary Services Workplace.
• 30 November 2021 – release of the Federal Jenkins Review, Set the Standard: Report on the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces.
• 17 March 2022 – Progress Update: Independent Review into Parliamentary practices and procedures to support workplace culture, released by the Independent Reviewer, Sarah Bolt.
• March 2022 – Opening of written and verbal submissions announced by Independent Reviewer.
• 12 August 2022 – Leading for Change: Independent Review of Bullying, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct in NSW Parliamentary Workplaces 2022, released.
• 29 August 2022 – Release of Motion for Respect – Report into Workplace Culture in the Tasmanian Ministerial and Parliamentary Services

Correspondence between Meg Webb MLC and then-Premier Peter Gutwein, March 2021