Parliament House is in the spotlight over yet another scandal, with reports that some male staffers allegedly recorded themselves performing sex acts in the building.
In shocking revelations aired by Channel 10 Monday night, it was revealed that a Liberal staffer filmed himself performing a lewd act on the desk of a female MP. The staffer in question has since been identified and sacked.
But it’s understood that up to four staff members were involved in a number of lewd acts, which were caught on video and shared around for “fun”. According to the Herald Sun, the television network also aired claims sex workers were brought into Parliament, “while employees regularly had sex in the building’s prayer room”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has since responded to the reports, saying on Monday night, “Everyone has a right to feel safe at work. The reports aired tonight are disgusting and sickening. It’s not good enough, and is totally unacceptable.
“The people who come to work in this building are better than this. The actions of these individuals show a staggering disrespect for the people who work in Parliament, and for the ideals the Parliament is supposed to represent.”
A tearful Morrison also addressed the media again on Tuesday morning, saying, “There has never been a more important time for women to stand in this place. I want to see more women in this place. I have done anything to get more women in this place and I intend to do more.
“I have put more women in my Cabinet than any other prime minister has before, and I look forward to doing more. I need women to stand with me. ”
It’s the third major sex scandal to rock Canberra in just over a month, following allegations in mid-February by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, who says she was raped by a colleague in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ office in March 2019.
Meanwhile, Attorney-General of Australia Christian Porter has been at the forefront of a historical rape allegation. News broke earlier this month that a Cabinet MP had been accused of a rape in the 1980s – and that many of his colleagues have known about the accusations for years. Porter fronted the press on March 3 and tearfully denied the allegation.
Just last week, the MP launched defamation proceedings in the Federal Court against the ABC and Four Corners journalist Louise Milligan, over an online story that claimed the Cabinet MP had raped a woman in the 1980s.