Australian Human Rights Commission
Report title October 2022
114. In March 2021, the Commission was asked by the Australian Government
to conduct a review into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces, to
ensure that they are safe and respectful, and that the Parliament reflects
best practice in prevention and responses to bullying, sexual harassment
and sexual assault. The Set the Standard report was subsequently released in
November, making 28 recommendations for reform.160 The Commission
welcomes steps taken to implement the report recommendations, including
a statement of acknowledgement delivered to Parliament; the establishment
of a Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce to monitor and progress the
implementation of recommendations; and the passage of the Parliamentary
Reform (Set the Standard) Act 2022 (Cth) which improves workplace
protections for Parliamentary staff.161
115. To address systemic failures associated with domestic and family violence,
the recommendations of Coronial Inquests should be fully implemented.
The Commission has previously called for a coherent national system of
death reviews to consider cross-jurisdictional issues and ensure accurate
monitoring. The Commission made recommendations to support this in its
2016 report, A National System for Domestic and Family Violence Death
Review.162
Recommendation 25: Government increase prevention and early
intervention initiatives on domestic and family violence; advance tailored
measures to address the needs of women and girls experiencing
intersectional discrimination; and implement the further National Plan
from 2022.
Recommendation 26: Governments address systemic failures to protect
women from domestic violence, including through instituting a national
death review system.
6.2
First Nations women and girls
116. First Nations women and girls experience higher rates of domestic and
family violence compared to the non-Indigenous population. Factors relating
to exclusion, inequality, intersectional discrimination including sexism and
racism, and inherited trauma, increase First Nations families’ vulnerability to
family violence.163 The Commission urges governments to address the
structural and root causes of family violence in First Nations communities,
through solutions led by First Nations peoples and organisations, including
by adopting strength-based approaches.
117. Three in every five First Nations women have experienced physical or
sexual violence.164 First Nations women are 32 times more likely to be
27