Liberal senator Linda Reynolds has criticized the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission, arguing that it is not strong enough to prevent the “weaponization” of parliament. While welcoming the commission’s establishment, Reynolds believes its limited reach and the legal protection afforded to parliamentary debate will hinder its effectiveness in addressing inappropriate behaviour.
The Liberal senator criticised amid allegations against Bruce Lehrmann believes parliament’s new workplace watchdog will not stop the “weaponisation” of parliament as crossbenchers attack its structure as too weak to enforce a change in behaviour.
“The simple fact is that this new commission cannot protect senators, members and their staff from the political weaponisation of parliamentary privilege,” Reynolds said. Reynolds came under intense scrutiny from Labor senators when Brittany Higgins’ rape claims were aired in 2021. The Liberal senator has previously said scrutiny over her handling of the claims represented a“There is no worse thing you can allege for any woman than that she has covered up the rape of another woman … that’s what they did day after day, and they knew it wasn’t true,” Reynolds told Sky in November last year.
On Wednesday, Labor and the Coalition agreed to amend the standards commission legislation so the chair of the committee overseeing the watchdog would always be a government MP, with the opposition supplying the deputy.
Parliamentary Watchdog Political Weaponization Linda Reynolds Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission Brittany Higgins
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