About a dozen federal MPs and senators have not completed sexual harassment training established after the Jenkins review, which found a third of parliamentary staffers had been harassed at work.
The Jenkins review was triggered by allegations by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins that she was sexually assaulted at Parliament House — which was strenuously denied and has not been proven in court.
Ms Jenkins found political staffers and parliamentarians had little or no idea how to report or address incidents of bullying, sexual harassment or assault, and recommended they attend training on respectful workplace behaviour, as well as support employees to attend that training.
But several politicians say they either will not complete the safe and respectful workplaces training or have not yet been able to do so, nine months on from the federal election and more than a year after it was first set up.
Senators Pauline Hanson, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, David Pocock, Gerard Rennick and Tammy Tyrrell are missing from the register of training attendees.
Lower house MPs Sam Birrell, Colin Boyce, Ross Cadell, Zoe Daniel, Cassandra Fernando, Sam Lim, Zaneta Mascarenhas, Marion Scrymgour, Bob Katter and Andrew Willcox are also missing from the list of training attendees.
The ABC contacted each of the members who were not listed on House and Senate registers for training.
In response, Mr Boyce, Ms Fernando, Mr Lim, Ms Mascarenhas, Ms Scrymgour and Senator Pocock said they had booked in to complete the training in the coming fortnight.
Mr Birrell, Ms Daniel and Mr Willcox said they intended to complete the course when there was a suitable time for them.
Mr Cadell, Mr Katter, Senator Nampijinpa Price and Senator Tyrrell did not respond to requests for comment.
Senators Hanson and Senator Rennick said they would not complete the training.
The course requires politicians and their staff to complete an online training module as well as a 1-hour session for parliamentarians and a separate 2-hour session for staff conducted by trainers at PwC.
The parliament's registers indicate at least 10 sessions have been held since the election.
The training has been running since late 2021 and was required of all ministers, as well as being made compulsory by Labor for its members.
Pocock's office says staff shortages have hampered efforts
Senator Pocock's office said it had been difficult for them to find time to do the course due in part to staffing cuts to offices by the Albanese government.
The spokesperson said he was booked in to do the training on March 15, as a "strong supporter of the Jenkins review" but had not been able to find time to do it.
"We had put aside time to do but have had to reschedule time we had set aside for this a number of times due to unforeseen circumstances paired with a heavy work schedule and a fair bit of travel," the spokesperson said.
"The department requires the training to be delivered through a 1-hour session for each parliamentarian with the chief of staff … we have been facing significant issues with staffing given the cuts last year."
Other crossbenchers did not answer questions on whether staffing issues had contributed to delays in completing the training.
Hanson, Rennick refuse to complete training
Through a spokesperson, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson repeated her assertion that she was "too old to sexually harass" anyone and had no interest in "complying" with the training.
Her party colleague Malcolm Roberts, who is a year younger than 68-year-old Senator Hanson, has registered as completing the training.
LNP senator Gerard Rennick said he had done an alternate training course in 2021 with a lawyer who specialised in sexual discrimination, which he found more useful than completing parliament's "tick and flick exercise".
But he indicated his staff did do the course and found it useful.
"I’m of the view that grown adults shouldn't need to do a session in how to treat people (obviously some did)," Senator Rennick said.
"To be frank I was amazed none of these protocols were already in place — having come from the private sector [where] all of this was formalised years ago."
Spokespersons for Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh and Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie — whose names did not appear on the register and who were previously named in this story — have told the ABC they completed the training in 2021 and the register had been updated to reflect that.
