The Greens have called on the PM to drop the veil of secrecy and release the review by Stephanie Foster into processes for responding to serious incidents at Parliament House.
 
Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said: 
 
“The Prime Minister’s description of what Ms Foster has recommended seems positive, but forgive me for not taking the PM’s word for it given his appalling track record on women’s equality and safety. 
 

The Greens say the government’s much-touted spending announcements for women have barely moved the needle on economic security and safety.
 
Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said: 
 
“The headlines promised us that this would be a women’s budget but what do we really have to show for it? A transparent attempt to buy off Australian women with some flashy announcements but not much substance.

The Australian Greens have welcomed today’s release of the positive evaluation of Our Watch’s primary school education program, Respectful Relationships Education to Prevent Gender-Based Violence, and called on the government to fund a national roll out.
 
Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for women, Senator Larissa Waters said: 
 
“Spoiler alert, evidence-based respectful relationships education works - not milkshake metaphors.
 

Australia has fallen six places to 50th in the World Economic Forum’s latest global rankings on gender equality, reflecting a growing divide between men and women in terms of economic participation, health outcomes, and political empowerment.

The Greens say the Prime Minister’s reshuffle is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic and won’t fix entrenched cultural and systemic issues in parliament or improve the lives of Australian women.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women Larissa Waters said:

“A whole one additional woman in Cabinet will not change the rank and sexist culture in this government, the Liberal Party, or the parliament.

The Greens say the Prime Minister’s expected Cabinet reshuffle is another cosmetic response to systemic failures and have called on the government to immediately act to protect women in parliament and across the country.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women Larissa Waters said:

“The PM is treating this issue of sexual violence against women and endemic misogyny as another PR problem to be managed away.

Responding to today’s press conference by the Prime Minister on women’s safety and the culture of parliament house, Greens leader in the Senate Larissa Waters said:

Greens women will walk out of the Senate on Monday to join a national protest calling for gender equality and an end to gendered violence, and are encouraging women from other parties and workers from Parliament House to join them.

The Women’s March 4 Justice is holding rallies in dozens of locations across the country on Sunday, March 14 and Monday, March 15. Greens Senators will join demonstrators at the Canberra rally on the lawns outside Parliament House on Monday.

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.