SA Parliament staff say their workplace is 'stuck in a time warp', report finds
In a new report, some SA parliamentary staff describe their workplace environment as the "Wild West". (ABC News: Che Chorley)
In short:
A new independent report reveals some SA parliamentary staff have concerns about power imbalances and a "toxic" work environment.
The report comes four and a half years after a landmark review into harassment in the parliamentary workplace.
House Speaker Leon Bignell says there is "an appetite for the politicians to make changes" in Parliament House.
Some South Australian parliamentary staff say their workplace is "toxic" and "stuck in a time warp" according to a new report which raises questions about the institution's progress on cultural reform.
Staff also reported that "politics felt prioritised over their welfare" describing a system of "dual standards" where they felt they were working under more rigorous behavioural requirements than elected members of parliament.
Meanwhile, efforts to create change have been "met with the need to balance 'tradition'" with the term "modernise" seen by some as a "dirty word", the report said.
The comments were made to independent consultant Kelsey Paske, who spoke to 28 parliamentary staff between June and September 2025 in both interviews and a focus group.
Parliament House employs more than 130 full-time equivalent staff. Of those, 61 per cent completed a separate staff engagement survey in February, also assessed by Ms Paske.
Independent consultant Kelsey Paske spoke to 28 parliamentary staff this year for the report. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
Ms Paske said participants described a parliamentary workplace culture "characterised by low psychological safety, poor organisational trust, and a genuine fear of reprisal".
"Participants consistently reported low levels of psychological safety, describing the workplace environment using stark language such as 'toxic', 'Wild West', and 'stuck in a time warp'," the report stated.
"One described 'a toxic work environment characterised by 'yes management', dismissal of concerns by those in power, and a lack of support.
"Another noted 'a deeply ingrained culture of favouritism and cliques within Parliament, where those close to the senior leaders are treated preferentially', leaving others to feel marginalised."
'Limited evidence of tangible changes' since 2021
Parliament House commissioned Ms Paske to review its progress on implementing the recommendations of a damning 2021 report into harassment in the parliamentary workplace.
That review by the state's equal opportunity commissioner found sexual harassment was prevalent in parliament, uncovering allegations of sexually suggestive comments, indecent exposure and physical assault.
The findings sparked a new code of conduct for MPs and a centralised human resources unit for parliamentary staff.
But Ms Paske's report, tabled in parliament earlier this month, said while 12 of the 16 recommendations from 2021 have been "assessed as fully or substantially complete", it had "not translated into meaningful cultural transformation".
"While staff appreciate extensive policy development work undertaken by leadership teams, there remains limited evidence of tangible changes in workplace behaviour and culture in day-to-day interactions," the report stated.
Power imbalances
Among the areas of concern was the "perceived immunity of [MPs] from standard workplace conduct expectations".
One staff member said there were still "significant challenges" addressing complaints involving MPs due to their "perceived power and influence".
The report recommended establishing an independent parliamentary regulator to assess all complaints, including those concerning elected members.
In the latest report, parliamentary staff say "politics felt prioritised over their welfare". (ABC News: Michael Clements)
It also said the MP code of conduct adopted in 2021 needed to be reviewed as it "does not reflect good practice nor sets similar behaviour standards with that of the parliamentary workforce".
The report concluded that parliament faced "fundamental organisational challenges" that extended beyond the specific harassment issues identified in the 2021 report.
"Traditional parliamentary culture presents significant resistance to contemporary workplace practices, creating tension between historical conventions and modern expectations for respectful, safe workplaces," the report found.
'It's a place that has faults'
House Speaker Leon Bignell said it was "pretty obvious to most of us in parliament that more work needs to be done".
Mr Bignell, a long-time Labor MP who was appointed speaker in April 2024, said both sides of politics had been trying to make parliament a "more contemporary workplace".
"There's definitely an appetite for the politicians to make changes; we get it — we know that it's a place that has faults," he told ABC News.
"We know that there are staff there who are unhappy because of the way they're managed — not by us, not by the politicians — by the people who run Parliament House."
Mr Bignell said over decades, MPs had "ceded" management responsibilities to the parliamentary clerks, who run the House of Assembly and Legislative Council.
Leon Bignell says both sides of politics are trying to improve parliament as a workplace. (ABC News: Ben Pettitt)
He said the appointment of an executive officer earlier this year to handle parliament's "day-to-day" human resources had improved the situation.
"I'm not necessarily blaming the current clerks. I just think this has happened bit by bit over decades where the MPs don't even seem to have a say in what happens in the running of the place,"he said.
"While things have been really slow and we deserve the criticism that we've copped over this, I think now with the appointment of the executive officer, we're getting answers to the questions that we ask."
Mr Bignell added that a long-running enterprise bargaining process between the clerks and parliamentary workforce had "caused a whole lot of bad blood through the staff".
In a joint-statement, House of Assembly clerk Rick Crump and Legislative Council clerk Chris Schwarz said parliament remained "committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace".
"We acknowledge that cultural transformation is an ongoing process," they said, adding that "significant progress" had been made since the 2021 review.
They said this included establishing the new people and culture section, developing a new three-year diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and introducing "comprehensive policies addressing harassment and discrimination".
"The parliament is actively implementing recommendations from the recent independent review by Kelsey Paske Consulting, with priorities focused on strengthening performance management frameworks, expanding trauma-informed training, and enhancing accountability mechanisms," they said.
Jodeen Carney says the parliament's response to a previous workplace report was “inexplicably slow”. (ABC News: Stephen Opie)
'You start to feel a bit helpless'
The report has prompted criticism from Commissioner for Equal Opportunity Jodeen Carney, whose office authored the original 2021 harassment review.
Ms Carney said she had raised concerns three years ago that parliament's response to its recommendations were "inexplicably slow".
"It is unfortunate that progress continues at a glacial pace," she told the ABC.
SA Best MLC Connie Bonaros, whose complaint sparked the original review, said there had "certainly been changes" in Parliament House's culture since 2021, but Ms Paske's report demonstrated it was "not enough".
Connie Bonaras says she has received reports about parliamentary workplace issues. (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)
"The reality is we could do another 10 of these reports, and we could make another 100 recommendations, but in the absence of an appetite for cultural shift and change, then nothing will change," she said.
Ms Bonaros said people continued to bring issues to her office about the parliamentary workplace.
"You start to feel a bit helpless working in a structure that you know is not designed to help people,"she said.
"We know that there a good things that have been put in place, but people are still reporting that, underpinning those good procedures and governance arrangements, the behaviour is still the same, the culture is still the same."
The ABC asked Attorney-General Kyam Maher for his response to Ms Paske's report.
In response, a government spokesperson said the recommendations were "largely a matter for the Parliament of South Australia to consider and implement".
"The government will continue to support efforts that ensure that the parliament workplace is a safe and professional environment for all," the spokesperson said.