In the wake of recent parliamentary sexual abuse revelations and the petition started by Chanel Contos, the Greens have used International Women’s Day to call for $190 million to be allocated in the May Budget to fund respectful relationships education including sexual consent in all schools across the country.

$190 million over four years would support rolling out Our Watch’s respectful relationships education program, which has been successfully piloted in Victoria and Queensland.

The Greens have cautiously welcomed today’s announcement into a review of workplace culture in Federal Parliament but say a culture review alone is not enough.

“This long-overdue review into workplace culture in parliament by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner is a promising step towards making our workplace safe for women, but the proof will be in the pudding of whether the Government acts on the recommendations once they are made,” said Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women.

The Attorney General must stand down and there must be an independent inquiry into the rape allegations, otherwise there will be a chilling effect on survivors speaking out, said the Greens today following the revelation of the identity of the cabinet minister.

“Today’s press conference by Christian Porter denying the rape allegations will have been extremely distressing to sexual assault survivors everywhere,” said Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women.

 
“Peter Dutton has finally confirmed when he was told about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations and outed himself as a rape apologist in the process.  Mr Dutton is now the fifth government member who knew about the allegation, but apparently didn’t bother to pick up the phone to the PM", said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women.
 

“The men of this government are still following the rules of the ‘boys club’, covering for each other instead of speaking out about what they knew about an alleged rape in parliament house and allegations of serial sexual harassment by a government staffer in Craig Kelly’s office." said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and Spokesperson on Women.
 

The Prime Minister has asked his former chief of staff, now head of his own department, to investigate what Prime Minister’s office knew about an alleged rape of a government staffer, which The Greens say is just perpetuating the cover up.
 
“Every day, more damning information comes out about the involvement of the Prime Minister’s Office.  We need to get to the bottom of it." said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for women.
 

Today the House echoed the Senate to call on the government to take action on coercive control, supporting a cross-party motion coordinated by the co-Chairs of Parliamentarians for Action to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children.

“Tomorrow, Friday 19 February marks 1 year since Hannah Clarke’s murder. Her ex-husband had never laid a hand on her until he killed her and her three children, but for years had been abusing her with coercive control,” said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for women.

Response to PM’s letter
 
"The Greens welcome the apparent acknowledgement by the PM that the review of the complaints and support process should be conducted not by his Deputy Secretary but independently of government", said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and Spokesperson for Women.
 
"Likewise, the Prime Minister should now make the culture review independent, not by a Liberal MP, and the Greens still assert that the Sex Discrimination Commissioner is best placed to do such a review.
 

The Greens condemn Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton for using his ministerial powers to slash millions in grant funding for community projects recommended by his department, in favour of his own handpicked list in electorally beneficial locations.

Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said:

“Another day, another pork barrelling scandal.

"Ministers picking their own pet projects against departmental recommendations to secure electoral outcomes has become commonplace under the Morrison Government.