Simpson ScottHon SCOTT SIMPSON (National—Coromandel): Thank you Mr Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to take a call in the third reading of this bill as the parliamentary sitting day comes to an end in a few minutes. In doing so I want to acknowledge as others have done the initiative taken by the Hon Dr Deborah Russell for in the first place having the foresight to put this bill into the ballot and then having the good fortune to have it drawn from the ballot and then subsequently taken over in its later stages by Marja Lubeck. I also want to acknowledge the I think very good debate that's taken place here tonight. Sometimes this Parliament acts in a way that many people would see as petulant childish and sometimes irrelevant and then occasionally there are opportunities when this Parliament actually makes some very good and positive changes and the debate is well informed it's measured and it's respectful from across the House. I want to in that context particularly single out Helen White's contribution this evening; a contribution that was made from years of experience as a practitioner in the employment law area and clearly from someone who knew what she was talking about and was able to relate well I thought to the debate tonight. So I commend her for her contribution.Although sexual harassment is never acceptable in any context sexual harassment that occurs in the workplace is particularly objectionable. That's part of the reason why on this side of the House tonight we are with enthusiasm supporting this bill at third reading because the issues that occur in the workplace the dynamics that occur in the workplace are different to many other situations of day-to-day life. There are often power imbalances and there are often situations that are difficult and challenging. The overwhelming number of victims of workplace sexual harassment are of course women. But it's not uniquely women who are the victims. I can well recall years ago in a previous life when I was a middle-manager in a company and had to try to deal with a situation where a young male employee was being harassed by an older senior female manager within the organisation. At the time it was a real issue because back in those days companies and businesses literally—literally—did not have the skill set the mechanisms the policies or the processes for dealing with a situation of that sort.I can remember it being a very challenging and difficult situation not only for me as a middle-manager trying to negotiate a way through that and ultimately finding a resolution to it but for the people involved for the young man who was involved in this situation where there was an absolute mismatch of power dynamics. It was a serious serious matter. These days from time to time when we're having a debate of this sort I think about that particular situation because that's not I suspect completely unusual even in today's world.Regrettably I'm also old enough to remember a time when I first started working when it was commonplace to go into a male-dominated workplace—and I'm thinking maybe of a mechanic's workshop or an engineering workshop and what have you—and there would literally be wall-to-wall photographs and images of naked women in various poses and what have you and even businesses that would hand out calendars each year as some kind of promotion. Well fortunately the world has moved on and those sorts of practices are now utterly unacceptable—as is sexual harassment in any way shape or form in the workplace. It's for that reason that we on this side of the House support this legislation and we thank and congratulate the Hon Dr Deborah Russell for bringing it to the House. I am very happy and proud to support this legislation.