Susie O’Brien: Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his part of Canberra’s problem

It’s easy for the prime minister to say women “have put up with this crap all their lives” when he and his staff are part of that “crap”.

It’s easy for Prime Minister Morrison to say that women “have been putting up with this crap all their lives” when he and his staff are part of the “crap”.

It’s time to stop apologising for perverted sexual predators like the four Coalition staffers committing lewd acts in Parliament House offices.

They may wear nice suits, come from good schools and have top-level security clearances at Parliament House, but they shouldn’t be protected or excused.

They should be condemned publicly and fired immediately.

It was disappointing – but not surprising – to hear one Coalition MP express sympathy for one of the men who spends his spare time masturbating on desks and sharing the images with his co-workers.

Nationals MP Michelle Landry said his behaviour was unacceptable, but she had sympathy for him too. She called him a “really good worker” who “loved the place and I feel bad for him about this”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said women “have been putting up with this crap all their lives” Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

With members like this, it’s no wonder the Coalition has a woman problem. How can anyone- let alone someone who represents others – sympathise with someone carrying out such puerile and disgusting behaviour?

Such comments are much more telling than the crocodile tears of Prime Minister Scott Morrison who once again referenced his wife, mother and daughters in his condemnation of the staffers.

“I owe them everything. And to them I say to you girls, I will not let you down,” he said at an emotional press conference on Tuesday morning.

This is not about him being a top family bloke, but playing a pivotal and effective leadership role at a time when women across the country need respect and support.

Morrison must start by firing the other three men involved.

He must call an inquiry into the historical rape allegations of Christian Porter rather than just accept his colleague’s denials.

He must ensure his office’s inquiry into the handling of Brittany Higgins’s rape allegations resumes.

He must sack his own staff who kept details of Higgins’ allegations from him.

And he must start listening and meeting to women across the country talking about violence and abuse – and not just from the comfort of his own office.

Morrison must also hire more women in leadership positions, and ensure roles across Parliament House are filled with a more diverse cross-section of people rather than just self-satisfied young males with ambitions beyond their competence.

If this is how these blokes act at work, imagine how they behave after a few drinks on a Friday night.

Liberal party staffer Brittany Higgins, who sparked change by speaking out about her alleged rape in Parliament House

These men filming themselves didn’t have one bad night – this perverted behaviour had been going on for two years and was widely known.

It’s well known that the prayer room was used for sexual encounters, that sex workers are brought into the House and that marital affairs are common and condoned.

It’s telling that the men picked the desks of senior female MPs to expose themselves on – it reveals a damning lack of respect for women in power.

Men like this bond by their communal disrespect for women – a bond that unites them in the pub as they tell sexist jokes, rate their co-workers by their sexual attractiveness and get drunk and treat them like objects.

Already there are signs some people in positions of power in the House will not take any responsibility for this, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tony Smith, and President of the Senate, Scott Ryan. They put out a statement saying they didn’t know about the latest allegations.

“MPs and senators employ their own staff,” they said.

This sort of blame shifting is why these issues are still festering in Canberra.

The Prime Minister is right that the Coalition needs to “get our House in order”.

This includes not taking pot-shots at journalists like Sky News’ Andrew Clennell for asking tough questions about his leadership. This is the time for decisive action, not more deflection and finger-pointing.

Labor also needs to get its house in order. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has yet to address and act on the damning claims from women within its ranks about its own toxic sexual culture.

Leader Anthony Albanese has yet to address and act on the damning claims from women within its ranks about its own toxic sexual culture.

For change to be effective it must come from the top down, and that means Morrison doing much more than being a good father and husband – he’s got to start by confronting uncomfortable truths of his own.