Allegations of sexism and bullying are dominating parliament these days, but maybe Australia's female lawmakers can draw inspiration from one of their own.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has written a book to be released on 1 October called "En Garde".  In it, she writes about some of the nonsense she had to put up with over the years to help women stand up to bullying and sexism in their lives.

"For years I pretended that the taunts and innuendo directed at me in the Parliament weren't there, hoping that if I ignored them they would go away," Ms. Hanson-Young said in a statement released by her publisher, Melbourne University Press.

"I have written this book because I know I'm not the only woman who has been subjected to sexist slurs and abuse designed to undermine their confidence and intimidate them in the workplace.

"Whether it is working in the classroom, on the shop floor or in the Parliament, women deserve to have a voice, and we're not going to be slut-shamed for using it."

The title "En Garde" refers to the exact length of two swords, which is 13 feet or 3.96 meters - and teh distance between the government and opposition benches in the British House of Commons.