Inquiry covers MPs, staff and parliamentary workplaces
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards has launched its first inquiry into behaviour codes across Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. It will examine how the rules operate for parliamentarians, staff and other workers in those settings.
Three documents are under review: the Behaviour Standards for Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces, the Behaviour Code for Australian Parliamentarians, and the Behaviour Code for staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984.
Each House adopted those codes in October 2024. As a result, this is the committee’s first inquiry into their operation and effectiveness.
Ms Anne Stanley MP chairs the joint committee, while Senator Kerrynne Liddle serves as deputy chair. The committee is now inviting submissions from people working in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces.
“This is an opportunity for the committee to hear directly from people working in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces about how the codes are functioning,” Ms Stanley said.
Anne Stanley outlines inquiry limits
However, the inquiry does not deal with individual complaints. Ms Stanley said the review is limited to examining the behaviour codes themselves.
Under the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service Act 2023, the committee cannot investigate conduct issues. It also cannot reconsider a decision made by the decision-maker for a conduct issue, or give or seek advice about a particular person or conduct issue.
Because of those limits, submissions should address how the codes work in practice rather than any single case. That scope is set by the PWSS Act 2023.
The review also meets a legal deadline. The PWSS Act requires the committee to start a review of each code within one year of the first session of each Parliament.
People can use the committee website to make a submission, read other submissions and find details for upcoming public hearings. Meanwhile, visitors can track the committee and receive email updates by using the blue Track Committee button on the page.
