Prime Minister Scott Morrison to appeal to staff over sex acts in Parliament House

The Prime Minister is expected to appeal to all Coalition staff for any information about crude sex acts being performed in Parliament House.

The Prime Minister is expected to address all Coalition staff on Tuesday, appealing for information about staffers allegedly involved in crude sex acts in Parliament House.

A Liberal staffer was fired on Monday after filming himself performing a lewd act on the desk of a female MP in shocking revelations aired by Channel 10.

The footage was reportedly shared with a group of Coalition staffers who filmed themselves committing crude acts inside Parliament House.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham told Senate estimates on Tuesday that staff were reviewing the footage aired and interviews would occur, where possible, with individuals who might know about the incidents.

Senator Birmingham said he expected the Prime Minister to address all Coalition staff at some point on Tuesday, including an appeal to any individuals with information to assist.

He also said he had invited the whistleblower to assist the government in identifying the other staff involved.

“I’ve reached out through the journalist who aired the story to invite the individual who released this information to engage with government … that may enable us to further identify those individuals,” he said.

“We will do everything we can to try to make sure those who have failed by an enormous gulf, an almost unimaginable gulf, to live up to the types of standards we expect people to behave by in this place are appropriately punished by losing their jobs.”

Senator Simon Birmingham said staff were reviewing the footage. Photo: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

He said the female MP whose desk was used in the acts had had “conversations with a number of colleagues”.

“Colleagues are engaging with the MP, and if she chooses to seek further support, she’s been made aware of the options available to her,” Senator Birmingham said.

He said he believed the Prime Minister had spoken to the MP.

Channel 10 also aired claims sex workers were brought into parliament, and employees regularly had sex in the building’s prayer room.

Earlier, Senator Birmingham said the government had moved swiftly to identify and sack the man involved in the lewd act.

He said the behaviour must be “stamped out” but insisted the majority of staffers were hard working and professional.

“It’s embarrassing, it’s sickening, it’s appalling, and it’s not to be tolerated. That’s the stance we are very clearly taking,” he told Sky News.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday decried the behaviour as “totally unacceptable” and “not good enough”.

“The people who come to work in this building are better than this,” he said in a statement.

“The actions of these individuals show a staggering disrespect for the people who work in parliament and for the ideals parliament is supposed to represent.”