Motion directing NSW Parliament to provide sexual consent training and review it’s processes passes upper house

2021-03-07

A motion calling on NSW Parliament to take proactive measures to ensure it is a safe workplace for all women and is free from sexual assault and harassment has passed the NSW Legislative Council. It builds upon the demands of the recent March 4 Justice.

Moved by Greens NSW MP Abigail Boyd, the motion, which passed unopposed, directs parliament to contract an external organisation to conduct a review, provide sexual consent training, provide best-practice training on how to handle disclosures of sexual assault and confidentially survey all staff on their experiences in the workplace.

Abigail Boyd Greens Spokesperson for Women’s Equity & Economic Justice says:

“Last night NSW Parliament came together in support of our motion calling for sexual consent training and a full review of processes to protect everyone from sexual harassment and assault.

“This motion builds directly on the demands of the March 4 Justice movement which this week has galvanised hundreds of thousands of women across the country in the fight against sexism.

“No workplace is immune from the systemic issues that enables violence against women, so it is really positive to see our parliament coming together to acknowledge the problem and taking the necessary steps to stamp it out.

“As a result NSW Parliament will now need to implement sexual consent training and training for best-practice handling of disclosures of sexual assault.

“In addition, it will mean that a full external review of all of our processes will be undertaken to ensure that all women and staff here are protected from the threat of sexual harassment and assault.