Prime Minister Scott Morrison has this morning addressed the media over the past month of Parliament sexual assault and sex act allegations.

This comes after allegations senior staffers performed a number of sex acts inside Parliament House came to light overnight.

“All of this has been shocking. It has been disgraceful,” he said.

“This has been a very traumatic month. It began with Brittany Higgins and her revelations of what took place in this very building. I remember that day very well, I was equally shocked and stunned at receiving that news also.

“Whether this is unconscious deafness and blindness, or whether it is wilful malevolence that is behind all of this, it must be acknowledged, it must be called out, and it must stop.”

“Women have put up with this rubbish and this crap for their entire lives.

“We have been talking about it in this place for a month, they have been living with it for their entire lives.

“So as much as it has been a topic of discussion here and around the country, specifically in relation to these disgraceful acts, it is something that has been the lived experience of Australian women for a very long time.”

Mr Morrison continued on to respond to his highly criticised handling of the situation.

“I acknowledge that many have not liked or appreciated some of my own personal responses to this over the course of the last month, I accept that.

“No offence was intended by me saying I discuss these issues with my wife.

“That is in no way any indication that these events had not traumatically affected me already at that point.

“Equally, I accept that many were unhappy with the language that I used in the day of the protest.”

Mr Morrison continued on to assure the media steps are being taken to address the most recent allegations over consensual sex acts performed within Parliament House.

“We’ve taken steps to reach out to the person who allegedly knows.”

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Later in the press conference Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched an extraordinary attack on Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell.

Clennell asked the Prime Minister whether he had lost control of his ministerial staff, and Mr Morrison responded by airing details of an internal sexual harassment complaint he claims occurred at News Corp.

Clennell later revealed no Sky News employee is subject to the HR investigation referred to by the Prime Minister.

The start of the tense exchange between Sky News’ Andrew Clennell and the PM: “Doesn’t it look like you’ve lost control of your ministerial staff?”
The PM responds by referencing a HR complaint at News Corp: “Let’s not all of us in glass houses get into that.” #AusPol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/BLNlgLsnGI

— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) March 22, 2021

Entertainment reporter Peter Ford explains. 

(Photo: Nine News.)