A former senior Liberal staffer and ex-press gallery journalist have spoken to The Feed about their views on restricting alcohol in Parliament House.
While a former staffer believes alcohol testing at Parliament House would be ‘pointless’, an ex-press gallery journalist said there often was a “free-for-all” with booze and food at work functions and events.
The journalist - who requested to remain anonymous - worked in the federal press gallery between 2017-19 and said the access to alcohol in Parliament House is “concerning”.
Asked if she witnessed politicians and staffers intoxicated at functions or events, she said “absolutely.”
“It’s available in the members dining room. People drank in their offices too - or others’ - with invitation [sic],” she told The Feed.
On ABC’s Insiders on Saturday, two female Liberal MPs expressed support for drug and alcohol testing to be introduced into Parliament House.
Senator Sarah Henderson and MP Katie Allen both said they’d like to see a drier parliament.
“Alcohol is a problem,” Senator Henderson said.
“MPs and ministers are not special. We are here to serve the community. I have heard a few rumours about drugs. Perhaps we need to start to look at that as well.”
While Dr Allen said she’d heard people talking about “how they drink because it helps them to stay up at night.”
“We are making important decisions on behalf of the society,” she added.
The suggestion to restrict alcohol comes as Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is set to lead an independent inquiry into workplace culture at Parliament House.
The review was sparked by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins who alleged that she was raped in a Ministerial office.
Ms Higgins’ allegation sparked several other women to come forward about alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace conduct.
She said it’s men’s behaviour that has to change and that alcohol should not be used as an excuse for their actions.
Brittany Higgins at the March 4 Justice rally in Canberra. Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
‘Bad behaviour of a select few’
A former Liberal senior policy adviser to ministers in the Turnbull and Morrison governments said it’s important to remember that most ministers are horrified by the recent allegations.
The ex-Coalition staffer, who requested to remain anonymous, claimed Parliament House is a workplace where reputations “matter immensely” and said they’d personally never observed any politician or staffer under the influence of drugs.
“This narrative that policy adviser roles are dominated by party apparatchiks is totally untrue,” he said.
“In any workplace, those who feel the need to use alcohol as a coping mechanism tend to find quite quickly that it’s not sustainable and that it isn’t the work environment for them,” he added.
“There’s also a good reason why the staff with bad reputations tend to remain stuck in junior roles.”
Would alcohol testing help?
Dr Nicole Lee is an adjunct professor at the National Drug Research Institute.
She said while alcohol is a risk factor for inappropriate workplace conduct, it’s not the cause of it.
“Banning alcohol on its own isn’t going to reduce some of those behaviours,” Dr Lee said.
“It’s not going to impact the fundamental problem which is attitudes to women,” she added.
She said while reducing or banning alcohol in the workplace is “good policy”, drug and alcohol testing may not be the right approach.
The Australian flag is seen above Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP
“Plenty of people drink a lot and get drunk but don’t sexually harass anybody,” Dr Lee said.
“Many of the alleged incidents that happened in Parliament House occurred outside of Parliament House, outside of work time and having alcohol testing won’t address that,” she said.
The former press gallery journalist said not once did she see or hear about anyone getting “cut off” from drinking at functions.
“It’s too available and free and I don’t know if much RSA [Respectful Service of Alcohol] is enforced,” she added.
Dr Lee emphasised that RSA legally needs to be implemented in every setting where alcohol is involved.
Parliament House in Canberra. Source: AAP
“Workplaces need to take those laws seriously and ensure that people who are serving alcohol are able to do their jobs properly.”
The former Liberal staffer believes alcohol testing would not work in practice as staffers and politicians generally grab drinks at events at pubs or restaurants in the suburbs of Kingston and Manuka.
“Unless you’re planning to show up at the Kingston Hotel at midnight with a breathalyser, nothing’s going to change,” he said.
Instead of targeting alcohol and drugs, the former staffer suggested examining the broader structural issues in Parliament House.
Currently, the Department of Finance handles staffing complaints. The ex-Liberal staffer said he believes there should be a proper Human Resources department tasked with these responsibilities.
“The Government should establish its own HR capability that can liaise discreetly with ministers and staff when issues arise,” he said.
“It already has this capability to an extent in the form of a committee run out of the Prime Minister and Special Minister of State’s offices that approve ministerial staffing appointments – but it’s a fairly opaque process that most staff don’t know anything about,” he added.
“It should be extended across the spectrum of HR issues in all roles and offices, not just ministerial ones, and become the clear point of contact.”
