Dr WOODRUFF (Franklin – Leader of the Greens) – Honourable Speaker, I rise tonight to reflect on some pretty offensive language that has been used in this place. Not long ago, when I was questioning the government, a male member of the Liberal Party told me to ‘put a sock in it’. When the Speaker called out that language, the response from the member for Franklin, Eric Abetz, was: ‘I’ve got some other suggestions.’ Yesterday, during a Greens motion, I was told by Mr Abetz – a minister, no less – that I am my best self when I keep my mouth shut.
These comments are sexist. They are a classic sexist trope. Women can be seen but we must never be heard. Since the dawn of patriarchal time, women have been told to shut up and let men speak. Telling a woman she is at her best when she keeps her mouth shut is unequivocally sexist. It is clear that Mr Abetz and some other men in this place have a problem with strong and outspoken women. That is unfortunate, because when I look around this Chamber and at the Legislative Council, I see our parliament is full of them, which is an excellent thing.
When I hear that sexist language, part of me rolls my eyes because I have heard it all before. All women have. I have mostly learned to shield myself from it. I know it is not about me: it reflects the insecurities of these men and their woefully outdated world views, living in a patriarchy under threat. However, as boring and vile as those comments are, we cannot ignore them. They can and do have an effect because they represent something concerning. This is not just about gross language in a few throwaway comments. It is about pervasive conservative attitudes that dominate Cabinet and people who are doing their best to impose a retrograde 1950s view on our state.
The Greens are open-eyed about what is happening. When I stand up and speak out against the burning of reserve forests on the pyre of Liberal ideology and electioneering, I am entitled to do so without sexist belittling or putdowns.
Sexist language from male MPs does not just impact on the woman MP it is directed to. All women watching, members of the public through the webcast, are affected by explicit and implicit sexism in parliament’s debates. Parliament House staff are affected, as our staff are. This is their workplace. This language reflects a culture that, unless checked, can be discriminatory, silencing and ultimately harmful.
The Premier would be aware that there were 620 representations made to the workplace culture review, Motion for Respect, published in 2022. Of the hundreds of staff who responded to the confidential survey, many revealed deeply personal stories and shared painful experiences that the parliamentary workplace had suppressed. The review found that 15 per cent of those staff had experienced sexual harassment, 40 per cent had experienced bullying; and 24 per cent had been discriminated against. Women were vastly over‑represented among people subjected to poor conduct.
Premier, to change the culture in this place, things have to go forward, not backwards. When you stood alongside other parliamentary leaders, you said:
We all have a collective responsibility to get this right. There will be significant change, positive change and continuous improvement. I am saddened, frankly, by the trauma that many people have experienced working across ministerial offices and elsewhere.
Premier, when Ms Rosol, the Greens women’s portfolio-holder, asked you this morning to address the sexist comments being made by Mr Abetz and other senior Cabinet members, I know there were people watching who were angered and disheartened at your failure to respond appropriately to Mr Abetz. This is not just about our workplace: it is about the community our workplace serves, the Tasmanian people. Sexist and misogynistic language have a cascading effect. This is the House of the people. All women MPs in it have the right to represent the concerns of their constituents, no matter how annoying, challenging or difficult those views may be for the government to hear. Today it is sexism and belittling of women. What else will you look past and walk by tomorrow, Premier?
We will not be shut down in being the voice of our people by sexist commentary or belittling. Not only do women in parliament deserve a workplace that is safe; so does every Tasmanian. As the Premier, you have a great responsibility to model, respect and call out inappropriate, harmful behaviours. That was not what Tasmania saw this morning. We all know that walking past bad behaviour condones it. We sincerely hope that you step up as the Liberal leader and reset the culture you committed to change.
