A powerful new integrity commission will be able to recommend misbehaving MPs be expelled or suspended from state parliament. Premier Jacinta Allan has admitted that the new parliamentary integrity commission is overdue after it was recommended by the state's corruption watchdog's two years ago. The new body will investigate bullying and harassment allegations against MPs following a string of high-profile cases.
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00:00 Sniffing out bad behaviour, Parliament is finally cracking down on MPs' misconduct.
00:07 It's overdue.
00:08 Elected politicians fall outside workplace laws, so this new regime will mean MPs will be punished for bullying, sexual harassment and ripping off their entitlements.
00:17 What this is about is bringing the Parliament into the modern expectations of what a safe and respectful workplace should look like.
00:26 This government has been frequently rocked by MPs behaving badly.
00:30 Darren Cheeseman was dumped from caucus following allegations of harassment of staff.
00:34 Will Fowles was ejected from Labor over allegations of a serious sexual assault, which he denies.
00:40 Adam Somyurek quit after he was caught running a branch stacking operation.
00:44 The former Speaker and his deputy were demoted for ripping off allowances.
00:47 I would like to see this actually go through the Parliament very smoothly.
00:51 I don't think the public want to see MPs constantly fascinated by themselves.
00:56 We're very conscious of the origins of these changes, but we do want to work through the detail when we see the final version tomorrow.
01:02 Three independent commissioners will hear and investigate complaints, and will be able to force an MP to apologise or undergo training.
01:09 For more serious misconduct, it can recommend that MPs be suspended, fined or even kicked out.
01:15 That can only be discharged on the floor of the Parliament.
01:18 It's really a very small part of the integrity jigsaw.
01:21 This is really more about MP behaviour than about political integrity.
01:25 And there's a lot more that we need to do in Victoria.
01:30 While Parliament is trying to change MPs' behaviour, the Premier is tackling an even bigger issue,
01:35 appointing the first Parliamentary Secretary for Men's Behavioural Change,
01:39 due to the scourge of gendered violence and the growth of online toxic masculinity.
01:44 It can't be left to women to manage women's safety.
01:47 It's boys and men and those attitudes and those norms and stereotypes that we need to break away from.
01:52 A job that will need plenty of resources.
01:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]