I feel deeply uncomfortable about the events of the past few days and the pain that has been caused to individuals, the Labor Party and the broader community.
As the Leader of the Labor Party and as a woman I want to make sure that we uphold certain standards and continue to foster a culture that is safe and respectful and that people can safely come forward if they have a complaint.
It is concerning to see how distressed people have been with their experience in this recent investigation. I understand that these processes can be traumatic but we must do our best to support people so that they do not come out feeling worse.
In the era of the #metoo movement, Enough is Enough and Grace Tame we need to acknowledge that times have changed and that women will no longer stay silent on sexual harassment.
As a member of the Review into Parliamentary Practices and Procedures to Support Workplace Culture (the Review) I will encourage the Review to adopt a recommendation from the Federal Parliament's Review of the Parliamentary Workplaces: Responding to Serious Incidents to provide education programs addressing WSH obligations, respectful workplace culture and responding to serious incidents in the workplace for all Members of Parliament.
As a party we need to work through where we have identified the gaps in our organisation as part of 2021 Tasmanian State Election Campaign Review, which also looks at governance of the party, to ensure there is a robust framework for inclusive, safe and respectful workplaces and I encourage members of the party to make submissions to this process.
I want to make clear that this statement is not a reflection on the outcome of the most recent investigation, the actions of the State Secretary of the Labor Party or the Investigator, Barbara Deegan, who have followed Labor Party policy at all times.
But it is imperative that the Labor Party sets a clear tone for how we want people to treat each other and that we support everyone to be safe.
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
