National Senator Bridget McKenzie has questioned Transport Secretary Jim Betts about a “beauty list” allegedly circulated by young men in his department’s graduate program that ranks women’s physical appearance.
“Does the phrase ‘Beauty List’ mean anything to you to Mr. Betts?” Senator Mckenzie asked during Senate estimates on Monday.
The senior transportation official sighed audibly.
“You are going this way, aren’t you, Senator? Which I have warned you about,” Betts responded.
She went on to confirm that she had been made aware of reports from some female graduates that “certain male members” of the graduating cohort had assembled a “degrading list” of women who evaluated them based on their “hotness.”
“Faced with concerns, I gathered that group of graduates and reminded everyone of the need for respect in the workplace,” he said.
Australian Senator Bridget Mckenzie asked Transport Secretary Jim Betts about the existence of a “Beauty List” drawn up by his department staff on women. Australian Senate
“We have subsequently undertaken more formal investigations into this matter.”
Betts said no graduates had been dismissed as a result of the allegations and confirmed he did not inform Transport Minister Catherine King about the issue.
Earlier, Senator Mckenzie also asked if Betts knew if any employees in his department had been followed home from work “in a harassing or intimidating manner.”
Betts later confirmed that an individual had raised an allegation and asked not to ask any further questions.
Betts said he warned staff involved in the listing about the “need for respect in the workplace” after he was informed of it. Australian Senate
“You may be asking questions that reveal people who may be under investigation or who may be perpetrators,” he said.
“I recommend extreme caution.”
The exchange came after senators heard that the Department of Transportation had received complaints of “disrespectful behavior,” sexist and gender-biased behavior and disrespectful language from employees.
When asked what action had been taken, Betts said he took the allegations extremely seriously and said the first point his department called on was victim support.
“We’ve learned some lessons in this regard, and one of them is achieving gender balance across all of our cohorts.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn