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Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s position was already shaky because of the way he dealt with some previous affairs, such as that of a co-worker who accused an ex-colleague of rape. Morrison called the footage “scandalous.”
The videos and photos were likely shared in a discussion group between Conservative government employees and leaked by a whistleblower. The newspaper The Australian and Channel 10 made them public.
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The images are causing a stir, especially since a series of previous affairs had already not benefited the image of Australian political culture. Political employee Brittany Higgins, for example, was raped on a bank. There were demonstrations all over the country.
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Prostitutes
The new information once again hits like a bomb. A whistleblower named “Tom” told the two media outlets that government employees and parliamentarians sometimes had sex in a parliament prayer room. Prostitutes were also said to have been brought to the building, “for the pleasure of coalition MPs.”
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He also explained that employees exchanged pornographic videos of themselves to the extent that he had become “immune” to it. He spoke of a “culture of men who think they can do whatever they want.” They probably didn’t do anything really illegal, he added. “But morally they are bankrupt.”
A consultant has already been fired. The government also promised to take stricter action. “I was completely surprised. It is shocking and shameful, ”Prime Minister Morrison himself responds.
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Women’s Affairs Secretary Marise Payne, who is also Secretary of State, told the media the revelations are “beyond appalling.” They make the government’s inquiry into work culture in parliament even more necessary than before, she said.
‘Suggestive’
In the meantime, many more women are speaking out about the prevailing culture. On Tuesday, green senator Lidia Thorpe declared that she had been the victim of sexual harassment four times since she started working in parliament six months ago. She told the Canberra Times that these were “suggestive” statements, as well as unwanted contacts. “It’s the men who write our laws, the men who should know better. It makes me sick, ”said Thorpe.
Protesters hold up signs during past anti-sex culture rallies.
Ⓒ Bloomberg
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The sexist culture in the Australian political class has long been denounced. In mid-March, tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in a series of demonstrations under the heading ‘# March4Justice’. They charged sexual assault and demanded equality for men and women.
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