Politicians who refuse to undertake ethics training should have their entitlements docked, a governance expert and former Victorian MP says.
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Another advocate says social media comments made by One Nation senator Pauline Hanson would likely breach a future parliamentary code of conduct.
In the last parliament, politicians were asked to complete a workplace safety program. The training was compulsory for Coalition MPs, senators and staffers.
Pollies need ethics training: former MP
![Swinburne University Adjunct Professor Ken Coghill, inset, and the House of Representatives. File picture Swinburne University Adjunct Professor Ken Coghill, inset, and the House of Representatives. File picture](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/3BUUzmFAhrhLyX9rFCubPq5/f95b75ca-c449-4806-98ec-892b9fa590b0.jpg/r0_0_3840_2159_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Parliament needs one comprehensive code of conduct and additional training, Swinburne University Adjunct Professor Ken Coghill said.
Dr Coghill was a Labor MP for Werribee in the Victorian parliament from 1979 to 1995.
"There needs to be a system for training members of parliament, in ethical conduct, in avoiding misbehaviour of any sort," he said.
"It would be reasonable for some of their rights to be withheld [if they do not complete training]."
![Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins. Picture by Karleen Minney Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins. Picture by Karleen Minney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/135763310/6c914f9c-9807-4f84-95a1-2d7e20af2472.jpg/r0_369_4256_2762_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
On behalf of civics group the Accountability Round Table, Dr Coghill will present to a parliamentary committee on Thursday.
The committee was set up to create reforms based off a report by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins into the Parliament House workplace culture.
The Accountability Round Table has proposed Parliament have a single code of conduct, an independent commissioner, an ethics counsellor and tri-annual review of the code.
Do pollies need an ethics counsellor?
An ethics counsellor would provide confidential advice to parliamentarians.
"Any member of parliament ... can go to this person in complete confidence, and discuss with them those concerns that they have about some issue or decision that they might be facing," Dr Coghill said.
The counsellor would be required to give advice in the form of a letter, which could be later used as evidence if the parliamentarian was alleged to have breached the code.
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Dr Coghill also said parliamentarians should be required to complete ongoing training, such as exploring ethical dilemmas through an app.
He used as an example the case of a parliamentarian being offered a pen by a government contractor.
"In some cultures, giving a gift in those sort of circumstances is completely innocuous," he said.
"But the reality is, if I were to give you a pen which had some inscription on it, the very fact they've given you a pen and you've accepted it, makes you think more favourably of me."
Hanson tweet might breach future code
![Senator Pauline Hanson. Picture by Elesa Kurtz Senator Pauline Hanson. Picture by Elesa Kurtz](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/135763310/d96e258f-07bf-480f-a9be-1aa4101b436d.jpg/r0_0_5329_3008_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Another group presenting to Thursday's parliamentary standard hearing is women's advocacy group Fair Agenda.
Recent comments by Senator Pauline Hanson could possibly breach a future code of conduct, campaign manager Alyssa Shaw said.
In response to Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi's criticism of the British monarchy, Senator Hanson tweeted that she should go back to Pakistan.
Ms Shaw said a new code of conduct should address alleged racial abuse, as well as other forms of discrimination.
"In the context of something that's happening in the Senate chamber, perhaps that's up to the President of the Senate to call in this case, Senator Hanson to account," she said.
"[But if a comment is] perceived as racist, then that could be seen as a breach of the code."
Scandal 'stress test' for code
![Former Coalition minister Christian Porter. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong Former Coalition minister Christian Porter. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/135763310/d7cae648-2333-4487-9afa-93fe3fa5bc7e.jpg/r0_258_5049_3108_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Advocacy group Fair Agenda also wants the committee to "stress test" a new code of conduct by applying recent political scandals.
They said if allegations like those aimed at then-Coalition MPs Christian Porter, Alan Tudge and Andrew Laming arose in the future, they should be easily addressed by a code of conduct.
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"It's like a sort of a thought experiment," Ms Shaw said.
"We can't anticipate what the outcome would have been. But it's exactly that there'd probably be a public expectation in all of these cases that a public process takes place.
"Someone would say, here's an allegation that breaches ... this specific part of the code. Now we're going to give it to an independent commission to investigate."