When will federal politicians get a code of conduct?

Unlike many of their state and territory colleagues, federal politicians are not governed by a code of conduct. 

That could soon change, after a report last week recommended that a workplace rulebook for MPs be adopted. 

If it does happen it will take some time, and ultimately the decision on whether to create a code of conduct will be up to the same politicians who would be bound by it. 

Here are the steps that need to happen before a code of conduct can be implemented.

Firstly, Parliament would need to endorse the code of conduct that was recently recommended by a committee. The committee on parliamentary standards wrapped up its work last Tuesday with a report that included a suggestion on what the code of conduct could look like. MPs won’t have an opportunity to adopt it until Parliament returns next year. The committee recommended endorsing the proposed code on an interim basis to start with.

The government would then need to create a new enforcement body, called the Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC). This was one of the recommendations sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins made following an earlier review into parliamentary workplaces. One of the functions of the commission would be to enforce the code of conduct and apply sanctions where necessary. It would be created by moving legislation through Parliament. 

Finally, parliamentarians would need to adopt the code of conduct into the standing orders of both houses, making it official. According to the recommendations, this should happen in the first sitting week after the IPSC is established. 

The proposed code would urge parliamentarians to “act respectfully, professionally and with integrity”.

It would tell politicians to “encourage and value diverse perspectives” and remind them that bullying, sexual harassment, or discrimination is not tolerated. 

It would also tell MPs to “recognise your power, influence or authority and do not abuse them”.

The code would also remind parliamentarians to follow workplace health, safety and criminal laws. 

Parliamentary standards committee chair and Labor MP Sharon Claydon, who presented the recommendation to Parliament, said her colleagues should not “waste this opportunity”. 

“The 47th Parliament has a unique opportunity to make good on past mistakes and to leave a legacy for future generations who work in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces,” she told parliament.

Creating a code of conduct has been on Parliament’s agenda for nearly five decades. 

The first report recommending one was handed to Parliament in 1975. 

Other attempts to implement a code of conduct happened in 1993, 2008, 2011, and 2012, Claydon said.

The government has committed to acting on the recommendations made by Jenkins, and the recent report submitted by Claydon was endorsed unanimously by committee members.