‘Enough is enough’: teal MPs call out ‘misogyny’ of Coalition MPs in question time
Teal MPs have called time on poor question time behaviour, claiming performances by the opposition during recent sitting weeks have been “condescending”, “aggressive” and “often misogynistic”.
Fresh figures also reveal MPs have been booted out of the nationally broadcast event for “disorderly conduct” almost 200 times since May 2022, with more than six Coalition politicians entering double digits.
The clarion call from independent MPs in the lower house comes after a tension-filled sitting period centred around the Coalition’s hardline stance to impose a temporary ban on all visas from Gaza over unspecified “national security” risks.
On Wednesday, the Albanese government will also release its longawaited model for a body with the power to sanction misbehaving federal politicians by imposing fines or sacking them from parliamentary committees. The independent parliamentary standards body will be used to enforce behaviour standards and codes applying to all federal politicians and staffers, adopted following the release of the landmark Set the Standard report.
However, the body would not be able to investigate any comments made under parliamentary privilege, meaning the wars of words between politicians during question time would most likely be exempt.
The independent MP for Warringah, Zali Steggall, last week told the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, to “stop being racist” before withdrawing the comment, as he interjected over her speech against a motion to suspend the standing orders over the matter.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup ‘The complete disrespect is untenable’
Dutton responded by calling Steggall a “zealot” on radio and the Warringah MP doubled down on the stance
that the policy was “racist”.
A day earlier, MPs had been told to “show respect” to the North Sydney MP, Kylea Tink, after interjections became suddenly rowdy.
The Speaker, Milton Dick, acknowledged there is a “distinct [increase] in noise” when independent MPs rose to their feet.
The next Monday, Dick said the “yelling” and “screaming” was not acceptable.
“Members on my left, the complete disrespect is untenable. Moving forward, everyone now is on a general warning, you will not be warned and asked to leave,” Dick said as he cracked the whip.
And after two years in parliament, Tink and her colleagues say enough is enough.
“I’ve become used to this type of condescending, unprofessional and often misogynistic behaviour from a number of male MPs from the Liberal and National parties,” Tink told Guardian Australia.
“And it’s not just me – many people, often women, face this sort of behaviour in parliament - the likes of which would not be accepted in any other workplace.
“It’s clear the Coalition still has a woman problem and I doubt Peter Dutton has the backbone to call it out.”
The opposition and shadow women’s minister offices did not respond to requests for comment.
Tink’s fellow teals, Steggall and Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps, agree the behaviour is disappointing, also pointing to the opposition benches.
“It’s been a disappointment to witness the often unnecessarily aggressive behaviour by Coalition members in the chamber, including shouting over the top of people who are speaking rather than respectful debate,” Scamps said.
Steggall, meanwhile, said it would take a “long time” to ask for each “inappropriate reflection” to be withdrawn.
Figures provided by the Speaker’s office show there have been 198 ejections during the 47th parliament as of Tuesday 20 August. Of those, a Guardian Australia analysis shows 161 have been Coalition members, 36 Labor and one from the Greens.
There is no suggestion the ejections from parliament are related to the behaviour alleged by the teal MPs.
The shadow NDIS minister, Michael Sukkar, has been ejected the most on 28. He is followed by Barker MP Tony Pasin on 20, and LNP colleagues, Garth Hamilton and Henry Pike, who have both been thrown out 12 times.
The deputy opposition leader, Sussan Ley, and the shadow energy minister, Ted O’Brien, both sit on 11 ejections from question time.
On the government benches, Moreton MP Graham Perrett and Spence MP Matt Burnell have been ejected nine and six times, respectively.
The Greens MP for Griffith, Max Chandler-Mather, is the sole crossbencher to be removed under the rules – 94A of the standing orders.
“My expectations are that everyone is treated with respect and a degree of courtesy within the parliament, no matter where you sit or where you’re from, that principle I will uphold,” Dick told Guardian Australia.
“As I’ve said in the parliament, and I’ve said in the community, I expect the highest standards of individual members, and I remind all members that Australians are watching us.”
But it is those on the crossbench who say they receive the most vitriol at question time.
The former Nationals MP-turnedindependent, Andrew Gee, said he had a unique perspective, having once sat on the benches with the major parties.
“While I don’t mind a bit of goodnatured banter, what I see directed at the crossbench from both sides of the aisle does sometimes have an unpleasant and unnecessary edge to it,” Gee said.
“While standards on the floor of the parliament have definitely lifted in recent years, the feedback from visitors who come to question time is that it’s still not what you’d call an inspiring or uplifting experience, so there’s clearly more work to do.”
‘It’s very adversarial, our system’
The independent member for Fowler, Dai Le, said she had faced more vitriol in her years as a local politician but acknowledged the “bantering and the screaming” at question time could be a tough experience.
Le said she would like to see more robust policy debate and questions actually being answered in the one-houror-so slot. The first-time federal MP said she had not seen much evidence of the workplace culture changing for the better in her time there.
“People are still talking and screaming and being very aggressive. It’s very adversarial, our system. How can we change the adversarial system that we have? Does it mean we have to have more women in the parliament? Would that change things? I’ve got no idea really,” Le said.
The proposed independent parliamentary standards commission will enforce behaviour and standards codes agreed to by the parliament in February 2023.
Those codes include a commitment to treating all with “integrity, dignity, safety and mutual respect” and a total ban on bullying and harassment, sexual harassment and assault, and discrimination in all forms.
Complaints made to the new body will be assessed by a single commissioner to determine whether an investigation should commence. For politicians, three commissioners would decide on whether a breach occurred and could impose mandatory training, a behaviour agreement or other sanctions, such as fines.
Serious misconduct could be referred to the privileges committee for further consideration.
For staffers accused of misconduct, a single commissioner would investigate the matter and make a recommendation to their boss.