Thank you. It's an excellent point that you raise.
It is often the most vulnerable in our workplaces who are subject to the experience of harassment and sexual violence. You've heard me speak about this, and many of you have spoken about it. It's that it is ultimately an issue of power. Frequently, people who are experiencing harassment and violence in their workplace are people who are among the most disempowered.
In our workplace, it's not hard to imagine who those folks are. They are many of the young staffers who sit around this room and, in fact, are with us today. They are often in situations that are very difficult for them. They have personally told me stories about circumstances in which they've felt very vulnerable.
This legislation will protect the most vulnerable. It is about setting up a fair playing field so that when someone experiences harassment or sexual violence in the workplace, there is a response, and that person can be confident that there will be a response.
In fact it's also, more broadly speaking, trying to lay the foundation for cultural change. I think when you look at the work of our Prime Minister, despite it many times being very politically difficult—calling out members who have violated our own party's code of conduct around behaviour, harassment, and sexual violence—you can see that it is not just legislation that will change a culture, but brave leadership. It's people being willing to stand up and say, “This is not okay in my workplace, and as a leader I'm going to take action and send that signal.”
To your point, it is the most vulnerable in our workplaces who will benefit the most, but I would also say that employers will benefit as well. I think when you look at the whole range of harassment and violence.... We've spent a lot of time talking about sexual harassment and sexual violence, but in fact, harassment can be bullying in the workplace. It can be yelling at employees repetitively. It can be asking employees to perform tasks that are not part of their employment contracts or their employment circumstances and that put them at risk of harm. I've heard many of those stories as well.
This is really about changing the culture, about learning how to treat each other with respect.