Ms CLAYDON (Newcastle—Deputy Speaker) (12:47): Following shocking reports of an alleged rape in this building just couple of years ago now, our parliament as a workplace came under intense scrutiny, resulting in the then Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins leading an independent review into Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. The report of the review Set the standard was published in 2021 and laid bare a workplace culture influenced by power imbalances, gender inequality and exclusion, and a lack of accountability. The report made 28 recommendations to enact positive change and improve parliamentary behaviours and standards—all of which were agreed to by this parliament.
Oversight of the implementation of these recommendations is done by the cross-party Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce, of which I am a member along with my fabulous Labor colleagues Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher, Minister for Finance and Women, and Senator the Hon. Don Farrell, Special Minister of State and Minister for Trade and Tourism. We've made great progress. Every recommendation of the report has now been either fully implemented or partly implemented, or it's in progress. The only exception is the recommendation for independent external review, which will be conducted next year as agreed by the PLT.
I draw the minister's attention today to the recommendation which called for the establishment of a centralised independent office to provide human resource support to parliamentarians and their staff that is accountable to this parliament. I note that the government legislation to establish the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, or PWSS as it's now known, passed in the parliament last year. This advanced the Albanese Labor government's commitment to implementing all the recommendations of the Set the standard report.
The PWSS has since become an integral part of changing the culture and uplifting the standards of parliamentary workplaces through its role in providing independent and confidential trauma-informed complaint resolution and counselling services and support for referrals to specialised services and, where necessary, the police. It'll work closely with the soon to be established Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission to ensure that all incidents of concern in Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces can be adequately investigated and, if necessary, the appropriate sanctions applied.
The PWSS has also recently expanded its services to provide workplace health and safety and employment life cycle support to offices, such as assistance with job design, recruitment, performance management, and education and training through the PWSS Academy. The academy is a great initiative and one that my staff have utilised as part of their professional development journey. The PWSS has become an important part of the fabric of this workplace and is integral to improving our standards and culture. I know that the PWSS is making a difference to people here, because I hear it every day from colleagues and staff on all sides.
I have also taken advantage of the HR resources provided by PWSS, which has strengthened my own office's processes, providing efficiencies and enabling my team to better support my Newcastle constituents. And I know I am not alone. Indeed, in the last 12 months of the PWSS's operations it has reported a 239 per cent increase in the number of cases it is managing. I am so pleased to hear this, because it means that that early intervention and early detection of conflict and complaints is being managed where it should be, at the lowest level possible, before matters escalate.
That's why I'm so pleased that this government has included in this year's budget $51.7 million in funding over four years from 2023-24 and $12.4 million per year ongoing to support the continued work of the PWSS. Minister, can you outline how this funding will continue the good work of the PWSS in improving parliamentary standards for all who work in Commonwealth parliamentary offices?
