MP Breaks Silence on Parliament Harassment
Georgie Purcell, an Animal Justice Party Member of Parliament in Victoria, has publicly alleged she experienced sexual harassment within the state's parliament building. The MP detailed these serious claims during a debate on new legislation concerning workplace non-disclosure agreements.
Chilling Incidents and Widespread Gossip
Purcell, who was elected to Victoria's parliament in 2022, stated the harassment spanned her time as both a political staffer and a sitting MP. She recounted one particularly disturbing incident from her first year as a 26-year-old staffer. "I will never forget... when someone came into my office for a discussion and I bent over to get something from the fridge and he remarked to me... 'If you do that again, I won't be responsible for what happens next,'" she told the upper house.
She described this as just one example in a series of harassing behaviours. Purcell also alleged experiencing late-night messages, harassing phone calls and texts, and unwelcome knocks on her door. After she formally reported the harassment as an MP, she said word spread rapidly throughout the building, leading to victim-blaming.
"The immediate questions were: 'What did she expect? Look how she dresses. Look at the tattoos. Look at her past. You can't sexually harass the stripper,'" Purcell revealed, adding that she heard the whispers and was subjected to slut-shaming by members of parliament.
Landmark Legislation to Protect Victims
Purcell raised these allegations during the debate for a bill to curb the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in workplace sexual harassment cases. The legislation, which passed on Thursday, is designed to prevent victim-survivors from being silenced. It will ban NDAs unless expressly requested by the employee involved.
This makes Victoria the first Australian jurisdiction to enact such a law, following similar changes in Ireland, Canada, and some US states. The Victorian government committed to this reform in 2022 after a ministerial taskforce investigating workplace sexual harassment made 26 recommendations.
Purcell expressed hope that this law is just the beginning of making Australian workplaces safer for young women. She emphasised the vital importance of allowing survivors to speak about their experiences without facing stigma, a principle now bolstered by this significant legal change.
