Parliament should be the place that sets the standard – not one that falls beneath it.
In any other workplace, yelling across the room, mocking colleagues, and hurling insults would trigger disciplinary action. In parliament, too often it gets a laugh.
In my first term as a parliamentarian, I witnessed one MP tell his colleague to “rip him a new one”, sat through countless hours of shouting in Question Time, and saw female colleagues on the crossbench repeatedly subjected to aggressive and condescending behaviour.
This isn’t democracy – it’s disrespect. It discourages young people from engaging with parliament and alienates the very Australians we were elected to serve.
When Brittany Higgins came forward in 2021 to share her experience of rape in a ministerial office inside Parliament House, it triggered a national reckoning. Her bravery – and the anger and anguish it provoked – led to the Set the Standard report, which called for a cultural reset across our federal
political institutions.
That report made 28 recommendations, including the creation of a Code of Conduct for all parliamentarians and the establishment of an Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC). Importantly, it also called for those behavioural standards to be adopted into the formal rules
that govern parliamentary debate: the Standing Orders.
In 2024, the House of Representatives did take a step forward by adopting a new Code of Conduct and creating the IPSC. But it didn’t go far enough – because in parliament, what’s said or done in the chamber itself remains off-limits to investigation.
The IPSC cannot act on anything that takes place in Question Time or during a speech in the chamber. The Code of Conduct is unenforceable in the place where bad behaviour is most often on display.
That’s why I have joined fellow crossbench MPs in calling on the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader, and the Speaker to help fix this.
Together, we’ve written to them with a practical proposal: update Standing Order 91 – the rule that governs “disorderly conduct” – to make it clear that a Member’s behaviour is disorderly if they “fail to treat others with dignity, courtesy, fairness and respect.”
This language is powerful, but not radical.
It’s lifted word-for-word from Clause 7 of the parliamentary Code of Conduct that all MPs have already agreed to.
And it’s hardly come out of the blue.
Multiple inquires over many years have highlighted the need for change.
A 2021 Procedure Committee inquiry said that “Members’ behaviour during Question Time is often poor, and this is disliked by many”, saying that “a more respectful exchange is clearly desired”.
I agree.
The change we’re proposing is simple, clear, and fair. It reflects the standards expected in workplaces around the country. It brings the Standing Orders into line with the Code of Conduct. And it gives the Speaker the authority to act when behaviour crosses the line.
I want parliament to be a place of robust, passionate debate. That’s what democracy demands. But that debate must be grounded in dignity and respect. At a time of growing social division and declining trust in public institutions, it has never been more important to show the country how to
disagree well.
This is not a partisan issue. It’s a cultural one. We all have a stake in lifting the tone of our national debate – and a responsibility to model the behaviour we expect in others.
As Governor General Sam Mostyn said in her address at the Opening of this 48th Parliament “many people [have] expressed their concern that we might lose our capacity to conduct robust and passionate argument and debate with civility and respect, without resorting to rancour and
violence.”
I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to lead with kindness and empathy. But that leadership must be visible – especially during Question Time and major debates, when the public, media, and school groups are watching from the galleries.
The government hasn’t adopted our amendments, but it has referred them to the Parliamentary Procedures Committee.
The start of this new parliament – one with more women than ever before – is the perfect moment for a reset.
I will be watching parliamentary behaviour closely and so will my community. I’ll be asking the community for their judgement on whether parliament meets the standards we deserve.
Let’s show our kids, our communities, and each other, that leadership starts with how we treat one another.
Let’s meet the standards that our communities uphold in their own life and work, and have a right to expect in our parliament.
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