In her first speech to Parliament, Liberal Senator Askew welcomed the budget allocation of $35 million to support prosecutions arising from the banking royal commission.

She said her experience in the banking environment had underpinned her career.

"The exposure of poor practice by some people in some banks and finance companies does, I submit, not truly reflect the vital work banks do in securing and strengthening our economy" Senator Askew said.

"As someone who has spent the vast bulk of my working life in retail banking, I am the first to say that poor practices should be exposed and those undertaking them should be held to account.

"But it is important not to overlook the diligent work being undertaken by tens of thousands of loyal and committed staff who get great job satisfaction in assisting Australians with their everyday banking needs.

"My experience with former banking colleagues and with senior managers is that almost everyone I met approached their job and their responsibilities with integrity and care for the circumstances of the individual customer."

Senator Askew paid tribute to her brother Senator David Busby and her late father Max, a former Tasmanian MP and Speaker of the House of Assembly who died of prostate cancer aged 67, "a great man, lost to us far too soon".

"He is not only my predecessor, but also my brother, and we were both greatly influenced by a challenge from our father shortly before he died, to get actively involved with politics," she said.

Senator Askew also singled out her mother, Elaine, who was awarded life membership for her 40 year contribution to the National Council of Women.

She supported the need for more women in politics and greater diversity.

"I also believe that we need diversity in all areas, be that age, gender, religious belief, or work background," she said.

"We rightly trumpet that Australia is a multicultural country, and we can reasonably hold up our example to the rest of the world of welcoming people from across the globe to be part of our community.

"But do our State and federal parliaments reflect this fact? They are beginning to - slowly - but it is a long journey and we still have a long way to go."

Senator Askew criticised the timing of a move in the Victorian Parliament to abolish the Lord's Prayer.

"There has been a proposal in Victoria to abolish the Lord's Prayer in that Parliament," she said.

"It was made by a minor party in that State's upper house, but I want to place on record that it seems to me to be a particularly poorly timed proposal in the wake of the awful events in Christchurch.

"A response to intolerance should never, logically, be more intolerance."