Final Taskforce Meeting: 12 September 2024

Issue date: Friday, 27 September 2024

The Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce (PLT) held its final meeting on 12 September 2024.

The passage of the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service Amendment (Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission) Bill on 12 September 2024 marks an important milestone in the implementation of the Set the Standard Report on the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces.

The Bill establishes the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC) as a workplace investigation framework for Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces and establishes the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Parliamentary Standards to provide oversight of the IPSC.

The PLT acknowledged the collaborative and consultative effort undertaken to inform the drafting of the Bill and its subsequent passage.

Taskforce Members also acknowledged all the contributions made to support the implementation of the Set the Standard recommendations since its publication in 2021, including by Parliamentarians, the Presiding Officers, MoP(S) Act employees, the Parliamentary Departments, the Department of Finance and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The Taskforce also thanked the members of the former Implementation Group, and the PLT Staff Consultation Group (SCG). In line its Terms of Reference, the PLT SCG will also conclude with the conclusion of the PLT.

Full implementation of the Set the Standard reforms is not yet complete. Ongoing commitment and vigilance will be required to ensure a workplace that reflects the nation’s values and ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone who works in and supports the Parliament of Australia.

At the meeting, the Taskforce welcomed the PWSS Director of Analytics who provided information on the PWSS data program, and its work to prepare an annual report for tabling in the Parliament, with information on gender and diversity characteristics of parliamentarians and MoP(S) Act employees, and gender equality in relation to remuneration for those groups.

The final Implementation Tracker is now available online. The Tracker lists completed, ongoing and pending recommendations and identifies the entity responsible for those recommendations.