Karen Andrews: Gold Coast MP blasts sexism as parliament scandal escalates
Gold Coast MP Karen Andrews has vowed to “speak up for women” after declaring she had “had an absolute gutful” of the escalating sex scandals plaguing the Morrison Government.
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GOLD Coast MP Karen Andrews has vowed to “speak up for women” after declaring she had “had an absolute gutful” of the escalating sex scandals plaguing the Morrison Government.
The fed-up Science Minister has called for gender quotas in the Coalition in a bid to bring more women into parliament. Her call comes as criticism peaks of the government’s handling of a slew of allegations over male mistreatment of females, ranging from rape allegations to sex scandals.
Ms Andrews on Wednesday morning launched a fiery broadside about sexist behaviour after a Coalition staffer was sacked for filming himself performing a lewd act on a female MP’s desk and sending it to a group in which similar images were regularly shared.
“I have had an absolute gutful, and my conscience will not allow me to remain quiet. There are some specific instances in this building that are absolutely unacceptable,” she said.
“What does it say about an individual that thinks that sort of behaviour is okay?
“What does it say about a group of people, seems to be men, who have passed around those sorts of photographs and thought that that was okay?
“I just can’t imagine how (the female MP whose desk was featured) is feeling at the moment. It’s appalling. I mean, how do you even try to explain how that would feel for her to know that that was done by one of her staff when she wasn’t in the office? I mean, you’d just be gutted.”
The Morrison Government has been under fire for five weeks over a range of allegations.
They including its handling of the alleged rape of Gold Coast resident and former Liberal Party adviser Brittney Higgins and historic allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter, which he strongly denies.
A Liberal Party insider told the Bulletin sexual escapades had long been an issue, not just in federal parliament, but in the Queensland parliament.
“It actually happens in both parties, it’s been going on for years. This kind of thing is nothing new,” the senior party figure said, adding relationships between staffers and MPs working long, late hours were always a reality.
“The lurid sexual act with the desk is different though, that’s real sick puppy behaviour.”
Ms Andrews, who has represented the Gold Coast-based seat of McPherson in parliament since 2010, insisted she had previously opposed quotas but now wanted it to be considered, saying she said wanted to speak “for all those women who have been treated poorly in a workplace, who have been disrespected by men.”
“I will also speak up for women right across Australia who are too scared to get on a train at five o’clock at night because they’re fearful of their safety; whose parents say to them, and have said to them for years, let us know when you get home, text us, call us, just so that we know that you’re okay; that your car has not broken down on the side of the road; that you’re going to be safe,” she said.
“The point that I’m at now is our processes to attract more women into my party and into the parliament have not been as successful as they need to be, and we can’t continue doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison responded to Ms Andrews in a press conference on Tuesday morning by saying he was open to the idea.
“I don’t hold the same reservations that others do,” he said. “Why? I think many Liberals may be coming to this view over time; we’ve tried it the other way, we’re not getting the results that we want to see.
“I’d like to see us do better on that front.”
Fellow Gold Coast-based MP Angie Bell said quotas were a matter for the LNP to discuss.
“The LNP is a democratic organisation and I am sure the Minister’s comments will contribute to the debate,” she said.
“I will be participating in that debate internally in the LNP.”
Mr Morrison on Tuesday held back tears as he declared his “shock and disgust” for the actions of Coalition staffers and vowed to act, saying “we must get our house in order.”
“These events have triggered - right across this building and indeed right across the country - women who have put up with this rubbish and this cloud for their entire lives, as their mothers did, as their grandmothers did,” Mr Morrison said.
“It has been going on, we have been talking about it in this place for a month, they have been living with it for their entire lives.”
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Gold Coast-based Labor Senator Murray Watt slammed the government’s “ongoing culture of cover-up”.
“These latest revelations about Liberal staffers’ behaviour inside Parliament House are revolting and another sign of disrespect towards women. It’s not on, I can’t say it any more plainly,” he said.
“This type of behaviour wouldn’t be acceptable at any workplace on the Gold Coast, and it certainly shouldn’t be acceptable at Parliament House, which should be leading by example.
“People - whether it’s here on the Coast or down in Canberra - need to be able to trust that when they come forward with concerns they will be listened to, taken seriously and immediate action will be taken.
“But the fact that the Prime Minister and his Government continue to refuse to answer questions about the Brittany Higgins matter, about the Christian Porter matter, and the Government’s ongoing culture of cover-up suggests they haven’t learned anything from these past few weeks.”
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