The Australian parliament was shaken by several more allegations of sexual abuse on Monday, when footage of a government staff member masturbating on the desk of a female parliamentarian was revealed by a whistleblower.
Disgusting video – obtained by Australian the newspaper and Channel Ten – led to the immediate dismissal of the unnamed assistant, but came along with other images of at least four members of government staff who exchanged images with sexual acts at the House of Parliament for years.
One of the clips showed a pixelated man exposing his penis with a copy of Parliament’s rule book just behind him, while another showed a man pointing to the desk of a Liberal Liberal woman before masturbating on it. “The fact that she is a woman parliamentarian only adds to her shame,” the whistleblower said, adding that so many explicit videos had been sent to her that she would have “become immune” to them.
The whistleblower – who was only identified as Tom in the report – admitted to taking part in some of the violations, but said he had decided it was the right time to expose what was happening. In addition to distributing the videos, he revealed that it is known that government employees and even members of parliament have sex in a small room in parliament, which should be set aside for prayer or mediation.
“I could probably say that there is very little meditation or prayer in that room,” Tom said, admitting that he used the room for sex. The complainant added: “Now is the time to talk, now is the time to highlight it. It is a culture of men who think they can do whatever they want. ”
Following the release of the report, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the videos as “disgusting and disgusting” and said those involved showed “an astonishing lack of respect” for all those working in parliament. The prime minister also confirmed that the man who was filmed masturbating on the desk of a woman deputy was terminated “immediately”.
The report follows an even more serious charge of sexual abuse on parliamentary grounds. Last month, Morrison ordered a review of the toxic culture at work in Parliament after a former government press officer, 26-year-old Brittany Higgins, alleged that she had been raped by one of her colleagues in a ministerial office in March 2019. Federal police are investigating Higgins’ allegations.
Labor spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said Australian that the filming is all the more disgusting because of its context. “Coming on the heels of Brittany Higgins’ courageous revelations, the behavior of these male staff members, with their depraved mockery of a Coalition Parliamentary woman’s office as support in their obscene videos, is reprehensible,” she said.
The whistleblower Tom said he was aware that the leak would put him on the line, but that he was fed up with the “privileged boys’ club” getting rid of repeated misconduct – and things needed to change. “He has to start by eliminating this toxic, powerful and privileged boys’ club that does what it wants, when it wants, where it wants,” he said.