Government sets the scene for an overhaul on Parliament House behaviour

Parliament House Canberra

Parliament House Canberra Source: AFP

There's been some quiet activity in Canberra on the Jenkins review. The federal government appears to be setting the scene for an overhaul of standards of behaviour.


There's been a parliamentary inquiry in Canberra, hardly noticed amidst the official mourning for Queen Elizabeth.

The committee has the job of putting together a new draft code of conduct.

And that new code is expected to include rules about the consumption of alcohol in Parliament House, a direct reference to the drinking culture that the Jenkins review said was a major contributor.

Tegan Johnson, from the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce, says the current rules aren't consistent.

"There are some workplaces or staff in Parliament House - for example working for DPS, Department of Parliamentary Services - that do have alcohol policies in place, and others that don't."

Commissioner Kate Jenkins herself has also testified before the inquiry.

She says making sure everyone is committed to change will be the key to any new code's effectiveness.

"If you start with the Ministerial Code of Conduct and look at those key areas of focus, it's the same: integrity, respect. And if you can kind of join the two bits in the middle, you will have one Parliament where people aren't speaking different languages when it comes - and interacting with each other with roughly the same expectations and understanding." 

CEO of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership Natalie Barr says one of the most important considerations is not just what the standards should be, but what to do if someone breaks them.

Listen to SBS Radio's Punjabi program from Monday to Friday at 9 pm. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

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Government sets the scene for an overhaul on Parliament House behaviour | SBS Punjabi