By Katina Curtis
A federal Liberal staffer who took a video of himself performing a lewd act over the desk of a female MP in her office in Parliament House, before sharing the video with other staffers, has been sacked.
Ten News reported a group of Coalition government staffers exchanged pictures and videos among themselves of their antics in Parliament House, which included signing sex workers into the building.
In a different video seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, a man performs a sex act in what he says is a Parliamentary office. The green carpet in the video matches the carpet from the House of Representatives’ floor.
Signs in the crowd at the March 4 Justice at Parliament House in Canberra on March 15.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The man was sacked on Monday night after the report went public. Ten News showed heavily pixelated images that reportedly show a man masturbating over the desk of an unnamed female MP.
Ten News also reported that sex workers had been brought into Parliament House to visit MPs.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, whose department is the technical employer of parliamentary staffers, said he was disgusted and appalled by the allegations, which showed “complete disregard” for what Australia’s parliamentary democracy stood for.
“It also demonstrates an enormous disrespect for a member or senator in relation to those staff, those offices. It equally shows a complete contempt, frankly, for the Australian taxpayers who paid the wages of such staff,” he told a Senate committee hearing.
“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 or senator but to the Parliament and to the Australian public.”
A spokeswoman for Speaker Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan said the presiding officers were not aware of the incidents or allegations until they aired on Monday evening.
“MPs and Senators employ their own staff. 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 spokeswoman said.
The Coalition government has been facing a series of allegations about sexual assault and harassment of women, with former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins sparking the conversation when she went public about her alleged rape by a colleague in Parliament House. ACT Policing is now investigating the rape, which allegedly occurred after-hours in the office of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds just weeks before the 2019 federal election.
Attorney-General Christian Porter is also on mental health leave after vehemently denying claims he raped a 16-year-old girl when he was 17, at a debating competition in Sydney.
Tens of thousands of people marched in cities across the country on March 15 to express their anger about the treatment of women in politics and general society, and to demand change. More than 5000 people turned up to the March 4 Justice event outside Parliament House.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has appointed former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins to run an investigation into the workplace culture at Parliament House and responses to sexual harassment and assault.
National Sexual Assault, Family & Domestic Violence Counselling Line: 1800 737 732. Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and beyondblue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au).
Katina Curtis is a political reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based at Parliament House in Canberra.
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2021-03-22 06:17:46Z
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