Leaked videos of Australian government staff performing sex acts in parliament, including one man masturbating over a female lawmaker’s desk, left Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison facing yet another major scandal yesterday.
Morrison — already under pressure for his handling of sexual assault allegations, including that a female government adviser was raped by a colleague — called the behavior “disgraceful” and “absolutely shameful.”
The videos and photographs, which had allegedly been shared in a group chat of government staff before being leaked by a whistle-blower, were first revealed by the Australian newspaper and Channel 10 late on Monday.
The graphic images have prompted fresh outrage from female lawmakers and the public, coming on the heels of the rape allegations that sparked mass nationwide protests.
The whistle-blower, identified only as Tom, told the news outlets that government staffers and lawmakers often used a Parliament House prayer room to have sex, and alleged that sex workers had been brought into the building “for the pleasure of coalition MPs [members of parliament].”
He also said a group of staffers routinely swapped explicit photographs of themselves and he received so many that he had “become immune to it.”
There was a “culture of men thinking that they can do whatever they want,” and while he did not think the staffers had broken any laws, “morally, they are bankrupt,” he said.
One aide was immediately fired and the government has promised further action.
Australian Minister for Women Marise Payne said the revelations were “beyond disappointing” and highlighted the need for an inquiry.
Australian Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said that she has had an “absolute gut full” of sexism in politics and her “conscience will no longer allow me to remain quiet.”
Andrews told reporters in Canberra that the ruling Liberal Party should consider gender quotas for its political representatives.
The fresh revelations prompted Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe to disclose alleged sexual harassment by four male politicians since she took office six months ago.
Thorpe, of the Australian Greens, told the Canberra Times that the “brazen” harassment had included “suggestive” remarks and unwanted touching.
“These are men that write our laws — men that should know better,” Thorpe wrote on Twitter. “What they’ve done is violating behaviour. It’s physical. It’s sexualising, objectifying behaviour — it makes me feel physically sick.”
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