Former deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop has delivered a withering assessment of the workplace culture in Canberra, blasting the “appalling behaviour” she has witnessed in parliament.
The former foreign minister was speaking for the first time since moving to the backbench at a women’s leadership awards night.
Ms Bishop was a contender in the three-way Liberal leadership contest that saw Scott Morrison installed as prime minister. She has since resigned her cabinet position.
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The contest sparked various allegations of bullying within the party, especially towards female MPs, with complaints of standover tactics from Liberals like Julia Banks, Lucy Gichuhi and Linda Reynolds.
Ms Bishop did not explicitly link her claims to sexism, but was scathing about the office culture in Parliament House.
"Don't say toughen up princess, say enough is enough,” Ms Bishop told the crowd at the Women’s Weekly event.
"These events have given rise to a much broader debate about workplace culture. This includes allegations of bullying, harassment and coercion and the unequal treatment of women," she said.
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"It's evident that there is an acceptance of a level of behaviour in Canberra that would not be tolerated in any other workplace in Australia."
Ms Bishop referenced her earlier career as a commercial lawyer and compared the workplace cultures.
