The Greens say the Prime Minister’s reshuffle is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic and won’t fix entrenched cultural and systemic issues in parliament or improve the lives of Australian women.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women Larissa Waters said:

“A whole one additional woman in Cabinet will not change the rank and sexist culture in this government, the Liberal Party, or the parliament.

The Greens say the Prime Minister’s expected Cabinet reshuffle is another cosmetic response to systemic failures and have called on the government to immediately act to protect women in parliament and across the country.

Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women Larissa Waters said:

“The PM is treating this issue of sexual violence against women and endemic misogyny as another PR problem to be managed away.

Responding to today’s press conference by the Prime Minister on women’s safety and the culture of parliament house, Greens leader in the Senate Larissa Waters said:

The Greens have again called for a comprehensive national approach to consent training after Education Minister Alan Tudge today revealed the government’s weak-kneed response to growing demands for change.

“This response from the Morrison government to the roar of fury from women and girls everywhere is predictably too little and too late,” said Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women.

In the wake of recent parliamentary sexual abuse revelations and the petition started by Chanel Contos, the Greens have used International Women’s Day to call for $190 million to be allocated in the May Budget to fund respectful relationships education including sexual consent in all schools across the country.

$190 million over four years would support rolling out Our Watch’s respectful relationships education program, which has been successfully piloted in Victoria and Queensland.

The Attorney General must stand down and there must be an independent inquiry into the rape allegations, otherwise there will be a chilling effect on survivors speaking out, said the Greens today following the revelation of the identity of the cabinet minister.

“Today’s press conference by Christian Porter denying the rape allegations will have been extremely distressing to sexual assault survivors everywhere,” said Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on women.

I welcome the decision of the Full Federal Court in dismissing Mr Leyonjhelm’s appeal of the outcome of my defamation case against him for what the Court has described as "crass, offensive and obviously sexist" attack on my character and integrity.

“It speaks volumes that a Government MP has decided to leave parliament because of the toxic culture and sexism in politics. Is it any surprise that after the past couple weeks women in the Morrison Government are quitting?

“We need more women, from all sides and all parties in politics if we are to change the sexism in parliament.

“It saddens me that another woman is now bowing out because of the boys club in Canberra.

“I wish Nicolle Flint all the best.

“The men of this government are still following the rules of the ‘boys club’, covering for each other instead of speaking out about what they knew about an alleged rape in parliament house and allegations of serial sexual harassment by a government staffer in Craig Kelly’s office." said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and Spokesperson on Women.
 

On 8 March, millions of people across the world will be marking International Women's Day. We will look back and reflect on how far we've come on gender equity. The sobering fact is that we will not see gender parity in our lifetime or our children's lifetime. On current tracking, it will take four to five generations to close the global gender gap. As a woman and as a feminist, that is unpalatable for me. We have fought very hard and we have won battles, many battles. But, when I think of what happens right here in my own workplace, reality hits me in the face.