The Australian parliament was rocked by further allegations of sexual abuse Monday when images of a senior government official masturbating on the desk of a female legislator were leaked by a whistleblower.
The disgusting video – obtained by The Australian newspaper and Channel Ten – led to the immediate firing of the unnamed assistant, but it came alongside other images of at least four government employees who had been exchanging images of Parliament House sex acts for years.
One of the clips showed a pixelated man exposing his penis with a copy of Parliament House rulebook right behind him, while another showed a man pointing to the desk of a female Liberal MP before masturbating to it. “The fact that it is a female MP only adds to the shame it is,” said the whistleblower, adding that he had received so many explicit clips that he would become “immune” to it.
The whistleblower – identified only as Tom in the report – admitted to participating in some of the misconduct, but said he had decided the time was right to reveal what was going on. In addition to sharing the clips, he revealed that government employees and even MPs have been known to have sex in a small room in Parliament House that should be set aside for prayer or mediation.
“I can probably say that there is very little meditation or praying in that room,” said Tom, admitting that he had used the room for sex. The whistleblower added: ‘Now is the time to speak, now is the time to put it on the agenda. It’s a culture of men who think they can do whatever they want. “
After the report aired, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the videos as “disgusting and nauseating,” saying those involved had shown “dizzying disrespect” to anyone working in parliament. The Prime Minister also confirmed that the man who filmed himself masturbating on the desk of a female MP was terminated “immediately”.
The report follows an even more serious allegation of sexual abuse on parliamentary grounds. Last month, Morrison ordered a review of the toxic work culture at Parliament House after a former government press officer, 26-year-old Brittany Higgins, claimed she had been raped by one of her colleagues in a ministerial office in March 2019. Police are investigating Higgins’ allegations.
Labor spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said The Australian that the images are all the more nauseous because of the context. “On the back of Brittany Higgins’ brave revelations, the behavior of these male executives, with their vile mockery of a female Coalition MP’s desk as a prop in their obscene videos, is reprehensible,” she said.
Tom the whistleblower said he is aware that leaking the allegations will put him in the firing line, but he is fed up with the “privileged boys’ club” getting away with repeated misconduct – and things need to change. “It has to start with the removal of this toxic, powerful, privileged boy’s club that does what it wants, when it wants, where it wants,” he said.