In March 2021, the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces was established by the Australian government. Conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission and led by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, the review was asked to make recommendations to ensure that Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces are safe and respectful and that the nation’s Parliament reflects best practice...

The UK government’s u-turn in the Owen Paterson (MP) case has yet again raised the question of how standards in public life can be upheld. This paper sets out the Institute for Government’s recommendations – drawn from a recent conference and their wider work on standards in public life – on how the government should...

Despite the important role politicians play in setting health policy, limited attention has been given to examining the voting behaviour of politicians in the Australian Parliament regarding health-related policy. This study systematically assessed the voting patterns of federal politicians to determine whether they concurred with the evidence-based policy recommendations of the Public Health Association of...

This review found that current procedures and processes are not designed or able to respond appropriately to serious incidents in the Australian parliamentary workplace, particularly with regard to sexual assault. The most significant gap is the absence of readily accessible, timely, independent, trauma-informed services and response mechanisms.

The Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces was established in March 2021. This progress update outlines the work of the review to date, including the methodology.