‘Disgraceful’ acts in parliament rock Australia’s govt

Leaked videos of staff from Australia’s conservative government performing illicit acts in parliament, including one man misbehaving over a female MP’s desk, left Scott Morrison’s administration facing yet another major scandal on Tuesday.

The prime minister — already under pressure for his handling of sexual assault allegations including that a female government adviser was raped by a colleague — called the behaviour “disgraceful” and “absolutely shameful”.

The videos and photos, which had allegedly been shared in a group chat of coalition government staff before being leaked by a whistleblower, 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 Australian public, coming on the heels of the rape allegations that sparked mass nationwide protests. The whistleblower, identified only as Tom, told the news outlets that government staffers and MPs often used a Parliament House prayer room to indulge indecent acts “for the pleasure of coalition MPs”.

He also said a group of staffers routinely swapped explicit photos of themselves and he received so many he had “become immune to it”.

He said 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”. One aide was immediately fired and the government has promised further action.

Minister for Women Marise Payne said the revelations were “beyond disappointing” and highlighted the need for a government-ordered inquiry into parliament’s workplace culture. Cabinet minister Karen Andrews said she had had an “absolute gutful” of sexism in politics and her “conscience will no longer allow me to remain quiet”.

She told reporters in Canberra that the ruling Liberal Party should consider gender quotas for its political representatives. The fresh sexism revelations on Tuesday prompted Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe to disclose alleged sexual harassment by four male politicians since she took office just six months ago.

Thorpe, a representative for the Greens party, told the Canberra Times the “brazen” harassment had included “suggestive” remarks and unwanted touching. “These are men that write our laws - men that should know better,” she tweeted. “What they’ve done is violating behaviour. It’s physical. It’s sexualising, objectifying behaviour - it makes me feel physically sick.”