Accusations of bullying, sexual assault and harassment at Victoria’s parliament are set to be investigated by an independent integrity commission, after a series of allegations levelled against two government MPs.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, on Tuesday announced a bill would be introduced to parliament that, if passed, would establish a three-person panel to investigate allegations of misconduct by MPs.
She said this would include allegations of bullying, sexual assault and harassment, as well as breaches of the MP code of conduct and register of interests, and the misuse of work-related parliamentary allowances.
Under the legislation, if a complaint is upheld, the commission will be able to recommend sanctions to parliament’s privileges committee. If the privileges committee does not follow through with the sanctions, it will have to explain to parliament the reasons why.
The changes, which would come into effect on 31 December, are not retroactive.
The opposition leader, John Pesutto, said he had been working constructively with the government on the bill but was yet to see the final draft. He said it was his hope the criteria around the commissioner’s appointments would prevent “controversial appointments that might be seen as political”.
The reform stems from a joint investigation by the state’s integrity bodies into branch-stacking in the Labor party, which in 2022 recommended a parliamentary integrity commission be established to investigate allegations of misconduct by politicians, as well as a 2021 review of workplace standards.
The review, overseen by the former speaker and legislative council president, found MPs were exempt from laws that apply to other workplaces, which prohibit inappropriate behaviour.
Last month, Darren Cheeseman was dumped from the Labor caucus after allegations of “persistent and repeated inappropriate behaviour” towards two female staffers.
Cheeseman has not responded to the allegations but said he intended to remain in parliament as an independent and that: “This is an incredibly distressing time for me and my family and I ask our privacy to please be respected.”
It came less than a year after Will Fowles was also forced to resign from Labor’s parliamentary party over the alleged assault of a ministerial staffer.
Police have not substantiated those claims and Fowles maintains his innocence.
Allan said the changes were “overdue”.
“This is about is bringing the parliament into the modern expectations of what a safe and respectful workplace looks like,” she said.
“We have embarked on the most significant overhaul of workplace standards in any parliament in the country. We are requiring this process to be legislated, which is the first of any jurisdiction in the country.”
She said the parliamentary workplace standards and integrity commission would be made up of one full-time commissioner and two who would be part-time, with specific criteria for each position outlined in the bill.
Anyone who had served as a state or federal MP in the past five years would not be considered for the role of the commissioner, which is also a five-year term.
Appointments would be overseen by the Department of Premier and Cabinet but would require final approval from the integrity and oversight committee.
A separate parliamentary ethics committee would also be established under the bill.
The attorney general and leader of the government in the upper house, Jaclyn Symes, said she was hopeful the bill would pass parliament “smoothly” with bipartisan support.
“I don’t think [the] public want to see MPs constantly fascinated by themselves,” Symes said. “This is overdue and we want to see it done.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Allan announced changes to her outer ministry, which included the introduction of a parliamentary secretary for “men’s behaviour change”.
MP Tim Richardson will take on the role, which she said was the “first position of its kind in Australia” and will “focus largely on the influence the internet and social media have on boys’ and men’s attitudes towards women and building respectful relationships”.
Cheeseman has also been replaced as parliamentary secretary for education by Nina Taylor.
• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
