One of Australia’s most senior female politicians has described the behaviour of parliamentary colleagues as “appalling”, reigniting a debate over whether there is a culture of “bullying” and “ sexism” in the country’s politics.
“I have seen and witnessed and experienced some appalling behaviour in parliament — the kind of behaviour that 20 years ago, when I was a managing partner of a law firm of 200 employees, I would never have accepted,” Julie Bishop, a former foreign minister, said in Sydney this week.
“Yet in parliament it is the norm,” she added.
Ms Bishop’s comments relate to complaints of intimidation and harassment by female Liberal party MPs during last month’s leadership challenge against Malcolm Turnbull, who was ousted as Liberal leader.
The brutal nature of the lobbying by colleagues during the contest prompted Julia Banks, a Liberal MP, to announce her resignation from parliament, blaming a “scourge of cultural and gender bias, bullying and intimidation”. Another female Liberal MP said she planned to name the perpetrators next week.
Critics said a culture of sexism pervaded Australia’s “blokey” political system — an issue highlighted by Julia Gillard, a former prime minister, who recounted in her memoirs how she put up with her depiction in pornographic cartoons, “ditch the witch” placards used by political rivals and an endless media focus on her clothes and appearance.
Australia’s “sexist” political culture made global headlines in 2012 when Ms Gillard excoriated the misogyny embedded in the body politic. Her speech to parliament was largely ignored by the local media at first but was later described as a “watershed moment” for women in politics after it went viral on the internet and attracted global praise.
Six years later, allegations of bullying of female MPs returned following the Liberal leadership contest and a Senate vote to censure an MP who told a female colleague to “stop shagging men” during a debate on women’s safety.
David Leyonhjelm, the Liberal Democrat leader, told the Senate his comment was a “relevant rebuttal” of an interjection made by Sarah Hanson-Young, a Green MP, who he alleged had suggested that men were rapists. Ms Hanson-Young is suing Mr Leyonhjelm for defamation following the senator’s repetition of the comments on Sky News Australia, which she has described as “slut-shaming”.
“The parliament as a whole, and the conservative group in particular, remain an ‘old boys’ club’, which can be quite a hostile environment for women,” said Sarah Maddison, associate professor of politics at University of Melbourne. “I can’t think of a less welcoming workplace.”
Australia is ranked 50th in the world in terms of the proportion of women in parliament, behind a host of other western and developing nations, including Sudan, Nepal and East Timor, according to research by Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organisation of parliaments.
Pressure is mounting on Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister and Liberal leader, to confront bullying following the resignation of Ms Banks, a businesswoman and rising star in the party. But some senior Liberals deny a problem exists.
“Politics is a bit of a rough business but am I aware of anyone who was threatened, bullied or intimidated? No,” said Michael Kroger, president of the Liberal party in Victoria.
Ms Bishop hit out at those in the party unwilling to change, saying: “When a feisty, amazing woman like Julia Banks says this environment is not for me, don’t say ‘toughen up princess’, say ‘enough is enough’.”
Avery Poole, assistant director at the Melbourne School of Government, University of Melbourne, said the concern was that women would be deterred from entering politics unless the culture is seen to change.
“There is a blokeish political culture in Australia. We need our parliament to have more women to change that and to make our parliament more representative,” she said.
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