CANBERRA – Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged mounting dissatisfaction with his handling of a series of allegations about the mistreatment of women in politics, as he vowed to drive cultural change.
His comments came hours after The Australian newspaper and Channel 10 reported allegations and images from an anonymous whistleblower about lewd behavior by male government staff in Parliament House.
They included the men filming themselves performing solo sex acts, including on the desk of a female member of Parliament.
Morrison described the report as “disgusting” and said he would speak with all government staff members on Tuesday to remind them of their responsibilities.
The ruling Liberal/National coalition came under sustained pressure in recent weeks following allegations of rape by a Liberal party staff member, including one in the office of a Cabinet minister.
The issue spurred tens of thousands of people to rally around Australia and led to a slump in Morrison’s standing in opinion polls.(Reuters)
