March for Justice a seismic moment: Labor

Senior Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally has described last week’s March for Justice which saw tens of thousands of women protest across the nation as a seismic moment for Australia.

The alleged sexual assault of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in a minister’s office at Parliament House galvanised many women to take action in recognition of the harassment or assault that has impacted their own lives or someone they know, Senator Keneally said.

But she said there is not a “single magic bullet” to resolve this.

“This is not something that can be solved by a process or just one piece of legislation,” she told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

She said it is a moment the country is looking for leadership.

She likened it to former Labor prime minister Paul Keating’s handling of the Mabo decision and to Liberal prime minister John Howard’s response to the Port Arthur massacre with the introduction of gun laws in the face of angry mobs.

“The country has been looking to Scott Morrison for leadership, and sadly it has been lacking,” Senator Keneally, former NSW premier, said.

She said this does not just relate to Parliament House, but to a broader issue confronting the nation and why women are speaking up and crying out for justice.

The prime minister has endorsed a review into the culture of parliament led by sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins.

Leader of the Senate Simon Birmingham believes sufficient protections have been put in place so that both current and former staff can have complete confidence in participating in the review.

“I personally want and the government wants to see everybody have the opportunity to have their say so that this review is a true reflection of the experiences people have had working in parliamentary workplaces,” he said.

“But most importantly, the review provides clear recommendations for how we can be a best practice workplace in the nation for the prevention of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault.”