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Images show senior government staff performing sex acts at Parliament House
Natalie Brown - MARCH 23, 2021
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Scott Morrison has lashed out over the “disgusting and sickening” reports of male senior government staff performing sex acts inside Parliament House in Canberra.
The Prime Minister said it was “not good enough” and “totally unacceptable” after the graphic images and videos of staff performing lewd acts — in one instance, on the desk of a female MP — were shared with Network 10.
“The people who come to work in this building are better than this,” Mr Morrison said in a statement. “The actions of these individuals show a staggering disrespect for the people who work in Parliament, and for the ideals Parliament is supposed to represent.”
He said the Government had “identified the staff members at the centre of these allegations and terminated his employment immediately”.
Mr Morrison urged anyone with further information to come forward or call the incident support line on 1800 APH SPT and said he will have more to say on the matter “and the cultural issues we confront as a parliament” in the coming days.
In the weeks since news.com.au broke the story of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape by a colleague inside Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ office, a spotlight has been shone on the sexual harassment, misogyny and bullying many women encounter inside the Canberra bubble.
Now, another Parliament House insider has come forward under the condition of anonymity, telling 10’s Political Editor Peter van Onselen that “the culture needs to change”.
“Now is the time to speak up, now is the time to put it on the record. It is a culture of men thinking that they can do whatever they want,” the man, identified only as Tom, said.
He provided the network with a number of photographs and videos recorded inside Parliament House, depicting male staff proudly filming themselves while engaged in blatant sex acts.
News.com.au understands that a staffer has now been fired following the publication of the images and videos.
One of the images shows a man sitting at a desk and exposing himself, with a copy of the Parliament House rule book behind him.
Another showed a male pointing to the desk of a female Liberal MP, before performing a solo sex act on it.
“The fact that it is a female MP only adds to the disgrace that it is,” Tom said.
Other images were “so bad” and “shocking” that they couldn’t be shown by the network at all.
“It is surprising and I think a lot of people will be stunned,” he said, of the fact the acts could take place in a building that’s upheld as a paragon of decency and democracy.
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Tom also revealed that a group of coalition staffers routinely swap explicit photos of themselves, saying that he has “received so many that I’ve just become immune to it”.
Government staffers and even MPs would also often use a small room on the upper level of Parliament House – known as the prayer or meditation room – as a place to have “a lot” of sex.
“I can probably say there is very little meditation or prayer going on in that room,” said Tom, confirming that he himself has used the room for that purpose.
Tom also revealed that he knew of female and male sex workers being brought into the building “for the pleasure of Coalition MPs”.
He said “a considerable amount of conservative staffers” were engaging in the acts.
While Tom said he didn’t think the “disgusting, disgraceful, privileged” staffers had “broken any laws, morally, they are bankrupt”.
Kristina Keneally, Labor’s home affairs spokeswoman, told The Australianthe behaviour was “disgusting, degrading and utterly disrespectful of female Members of Parliament”.
“Coming on the heels of Brittany Higgins’ brave revelations, the behaviour of these male staffers, with their depraved mockery of a Coalition female MP’s desk as a prop in their obscene videos, is reprehensible … I’m revolted,” Senator Keneally said.
The day after Ms Higgins’ allegations were made public, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the first two of what is now five inquiries into the workplace culture and support for staffers at Parliament House.
“We must continue to address the environment of this place,” Mr Morrison said.
“I believe over the last few years, since this occurred, there have been changes and there have been improvements. But I’m not naive enough to think – and I don’t think any of you are, or anyone else in this place is naive enough to think – that that is not a position of vulnerability that can still occur, whether it’s here or, frankly, in so many other workplaces around this country.
“So, I hope Brittany’s call is a wake-up for all of us from that point of view.”
A second independent inquiry – led by sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins – will also be conducted into the culture of Parliament House, co-ordinated by Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, who said he hoped it will focus on safety for staffers.
In response to the 10 News story, Minister Birmingham said anyone involved in the videos should “pack their bags and leave the building for good”.
“I’m disgusted and appalled at what I see alleged in relation to that story. It shows a complete disregard for all that our parliamentary democracy stands for,” he said.
“It also demonstrates an enormous disrespect for the employing member or senator in relation to those staff and those offices. It equally shows a complete contempt frankly for the Australian taxpayers who have paid the wages of such staff and in my opinion any individuals who engaged in such activity ought to prepare to pack their bags and leave the building for good.
“They should also think intently about apologising not just to their employing member and senator but to the parliament and to the Australian public.”
With that review now underway, Tom said it’s time for the “privileged boys club” of Parliament House to go.
“It needs to start with the removal of this toxic, powerful, privileged boys club that does what it wants, when it wants, where it wants,” he said.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/images-show-senior-government-staff-performing-sex-acts-at-parliament-house/news-story/f428c6c0274c5cf7e2f5b7e1e948e844
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVgFrI-5D8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LvW9z1L0Yc
Finance Minister warns other Coalition staffers involved in lewd Parliament sex acts will be sacked
Andrew Probyn, Georgia Hitch and Stephanie Dalzell - 22 March 2021
Any Coalition staffers found to have committed lewd sex acts in Parliament will be sacked, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has warned.
Channel Ten and The Australian newspaper reportedly obtained videos and images of sexual encounters filmed inside Parliament House
Four Coalition staff members were reportedly involved, with one allegedly committing a lewd act on the desk of a female Liberal MP.
In a statement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed a staffer "at the centre of the allegations" had been identified and sacked.
"The reports aired tonight are disgusting and sickening," he said.
"It's not good enough and is totally unacceptable.
"My government has identified the staff member at the centre of these allegations and has terminated his employment immediately."
Senator Birmingham said he'd made attempts to contact the whistleblower.
"We will undertake whatever other investigations we can, having acted swiftly last night where we could identify one individual," he told the ABC.
"And if we identify any others, then similar action will be taken in relation to them."
Mr Morrison urged anybody with more information to come forward.
"The people who come to work in this building are better than this," he said.
"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.
"I will have more to say on this and the cultural issues we confront as a Parliament in coming days."
Earlier on Monday evening, Minister for Women Marise Payne told a parliamentary committee the allegations highlighted the need for the independent inquiry into the workplace culture of Parliament House, headed by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.
"As a senator for New South Wales, as a minister in this government, and a human being, it's appalling, " she said.
"The degrading nature of those actions which were shown in the media this evening is beyond disappointing and reinforces the imperative of the review that the Sex Discrimination Commissioner will carry out.
"What I think that piece tonight reinforces is that the behaviours of perpetrators which are beyond unacceptable — and will hopefully be dealt with through appropriate legal processes — must stop. And the only way they will stop in this building is if the members and senators of this building make that happen."
Appearing on 730, Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek described the revelations as revolting.
"Obviously anyone who's behaved that way shouldn't be working in Parliament House," she said.
"But the bigger question is, how do we make sure this isn't a 24-hour political problem managed away by the government, but that real action is taken to provide a safe place for women who work in Parliament House?"
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tony Smith, and President of the Senate, Scott Ryan, said the Presiding Officers "were not aware of the incidents or allegations until they aired on Channel Ten".
"MPs and senators employ their own staff," they said.
"If the Presiding Officers are informed of the identities of the staff members, they are of course prepared to take action within the context of their responsibilities."
The man's sacking comes at a time when the workplace culture, particularly for women, within Parliament House is being intensely scrutinised.
Former staffer Brittany Higgins's allegation she was raped by a colleague in March 2019 resulted in Mr Morrison announcing a series of inquiries into the adequacy of support measures for women in the building, as well as the broader culture and how to improve it.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins has been appointed to head up the independent, cross-party review into the culture.
Ms Higgins's allegations and the treatment of women Australia more broadly, sparked marches and protests across the country.
Last week a federal government staff member resigned shortly after being accused in Tasmanian Parliament of calling a senior female politician a "meth-head c***" during his time working for then-premier Will Hodgman.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-22/coalition-staffer-lewd-sex-act-parliament-house-sacked/100022032
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsd0Sm5Ohc
Scott Morrison on verge of tears addressing culture within parliament
Scott Morrison broke down during an emotional press conference addressing the sexual harassment and assault crisis engulfing politics.
Samantha Maiden - MARCH 23, 2021
Scott Morrison has broken down in tears describing his wife, mother and daughters as “the centre of his life” as he described the “crap” women have put up with all their lives.
In an emotional press conference, the Prime Minister said he was shocked and disgusted by a month of revelations over alleged rapes, sexual assault and “disgusting behaviour” by men at Parliament House.
A Liberal staffer was sacked on Monday after Channel 10 aired revelations he had sent an image of himself performing a lewd act on a female MP’s desk to a group of fellow staffers, in the latest scandal to rock Parliament House.
The Prime Minister acknowledged it had been a “traumatic month” in parliament, since former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped by a colleague in the building in 2019.
“Criticise me if you like for speaking about my daughters, but they are the centre of my life,’’ he said.
“My wife is the centre of my life. My mother, my widowed mother is the centre of my life. They motivate me every day on this issue. They have motivated me my entire life, they have taught me the values and the faith that sustains me every single day in this job.
“Which is why I am here, I owe them everything. And to them I say to you girls, I will not let you down.
“To the many other women who are in this place, who have shared their stories with me, I thank you for your feedback, your honesty, your support, your counsel, and your courage.
“I know there are plenty of women who work in this building today, whether they be members or senators, investors, shadow ministers, staff, journalists, who say ‘Why should I bother? Why should I bother? Why should I not just walk away?’
“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.”
Mr Morrison said he would address all staff today about the revelations that men had filmed themselves masturbating on female MPs desks.
The Prime Minister said many good women and men worked at Parliament House.
“We must get our House in order,’’ he said.
“Women have been putting up with this crap all their lives.”
In a shock development, the Prime Minister also revealed he was open to the idea of quotas to increase the number of female Liberal MPs, an idea that had been resisted for decades.
“My colleagues know well that I am very open to these questions. I have had some frustrations about trying to get women preselected for running for the Liberal Party to come into this place,’’ he said.
“When it comes to that issue, I don’t hold the other reservations. Why? I think other Liberals will come to this view over the point of time. We tried it the other way and it isn’t getting us the results so I would like to see us do better on that front.”
The Prime Minister said he was considering the issue of consent education in schools and greater funding for rape crisis centres.
“All of the above, and more, and if you go across the fourth National action plan, and a Social Services Minister I had responsibility for earlier national action plans, they include all of these things,’’ he said.
“Is important to remember that these action plans are done together with the states and territories and many of the services delivered are also delivered by the states, so this is something we generally have to do together, and we have been doing together.
“But I would urge that the path we have to go down is one that we have to go down together. This is not an issue that should be the subject of partisan contest, it really shouldn’t. That will slow us down, that will not get the outcomes.”
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/scott-morrison-on-verge-of-tears-addressing-culture-within-parliament/news-story/70260a40b9a5fe17c1c815120c2ffbbe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnJueVUivBg