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Live breaking news: Disbelief over Scott Morrison's comments on the women's March 4 Justice

There's been disbelief over PM Scott Morrison's March 4 Justice comments after he noted protesters in other places were "met with bullets".

Ally Foster and Charis Chang
less than 2 min read
March 15, 2021 - 1:43PM
Sydney's March 4 Justice: "Enough is enough!"

There has been disbelief about Prime Minister Scott Morrison's comments on the women's March 4 Justice today.

During Question Time in parliament, Mr Morrison said it was "good and right" that people were able to gather but that marches in other places were "met with bullets".

"It is good and right, Mr Speaker, that so many are able to gather here in this way, whether in our capital or elsewhere, and to do so peacefully to express their concerns and their very genuine and real frustrations," he said.

"This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker, not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country."

Labor leader Anthony Albanese described the PM's response as "not so much a tin ear as a wall of concrete".

Greens leader Adam Bandt tweeted: "Scott Morrison to marchers today: be glad we didn’t shoot you. Unbelievable. He just doesn’t get it."

The hashtag #ScottyTheMisogynist is now trending on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Christian Porter, who has launched defamation action against the ABC, will be returning to work on March 31, while Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he will take six weeks leave after a serious back injury.

Follow our live coverage of today's top news stories below.

Updates

Signing off

That's it for today, we'll be back tomorrow morning providing more coverage of Australian news.

Disbelief over PM's women's march comments

There has been disbelief over Prime Minister Scott Morrison's comments on the women's March 4 Justice today.

During Question Time in parliament, Mr Morrison said it was "good and right" that people were able to gather but that marches in other places were "met with bullets".

"It is good and right, Mr Speaker, that so many are able to gather here in this way, whether in our capital or elsewhere, and to do so peacefully to express their concerns and their very genuine and real frustrations," he said.

"This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker, not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country."

Labor leader Anthony Albanese described the PM's response as "not so much a tin ear as a wall of concrete".

Greens leader Adam Bandt tweeted: "Scott Morrison to marchers today: be glad we didn’t shoot you. Unbelievable. He just doesn’t get it."

The hashtag #ScottyTheMisogynist is now trending on Twitter.

New COVID alert issued for NSW venue

NSW Health has released a new alert for a venue visited by a confirmed case of the coronavirus.

Anyone who visited any of the following venues at the listed times should monitor for symptoms, and if they appear, immediately be tested and isolate until a negative result is received. If symptoms reappear, they should be tested again:

* Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre (stadium and gymnasium area): Wednesday, March 10 from 4.15pm – 5.30pm

* Coles, Hurstville Station: Saturday, March 13 from 7.30am – 7.40am, and Wednesday, March 10, from 9.15pm – 9.46pm.

Christian Porter will return to work

Attorney General Christian Porter will resume his duties on March 31, news.com.au's Samantha Maiden is reporting.

Tens of thousands of women March 4 Justice

Thousands of women have taken to the streets today to call for equality and demand action on gendered violence.

There were 40 Women’s March 4 Justice rallies across Australia today, with the protests shutting down Australia’s CBDs and a number of regional towns.

Thousands of people descended on Sydney’s Town Hall at 12pm with the group far exceeding the 1500 people granted an exemption by NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard.

Women gathered in Sydney for the March 4 Justice. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Despite the huge numbers, police were able to split the thousands into groups of 500 with the broken-up protesters marching their way towards NSW Parliament House.
In Canberra, Brittany Higgins, who alleges a former Liberal staffer raped her in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' officer, addressed the crowd.

While in Tasmania, Australian of the Year Grace Tame made a powerful speech.
You can read Brittany's speech here, and Grace's speech here.

PM's claims 'not credible'

During his speech Anthony Albanese to suspend standing orders, the Opposition Leader described the Prime Minister's explanations as "not credible".

Mr Albanese noted the PM's earlier statement that his office had forwarded a copy of the allegations against the Attorney General to the Australian Federal Police without keeping a copy.

"Anyone who knows anything about the prime minister's office should be, quite frankly, horrified, about the national security implications of the fact that a document such as that, can come into the PMO, be forwarded to the AFP and not have a copy or record kept in the prime minister's office," Mr Albanese said.

"It is just not credible.

"Just as it is not credible – as Peta Credlin, Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull have documented – that no-one told the Prime Minister about what had occurred: the reported sexual assault just metres from his office until the Monday when it was reported on news.com.au.

"This is in spite of the fact that you had at least three ministers informed of this."

Albo's move for an inquiry defeated

Labor leader Anthony Albanese moved to suspend standing orders so that a motion could be put, including that an independent inquiry be held.

"The House calls on the Prime Minister to immediately, one, commission an independent inquiry into the sexual assault allegations against the Attorney-General," Mr Albanese said.
"Two, provide a full explanation of his Government’s response of the reported sexual assault of Brittany Higgins in the Defence Minister’s office in March 2019.
"Three, act on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s respect at work report.
"And, four, improve support programs that prevent gendered violence."

However, Mr Albanese's motion was not supported.

Why hasn't PM read alleged victim's statement?

Prime Minister Scott Morrision has explained why he hasn't read a document detailing allegations against Attorney General Christian Porter, saying his office no longer has a copy of it.

During Question Time, Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon asked the PM: "When deciding whether the Attorney-General was a fit and proper person to remain in his role, why did the Prime Minister listen to the Attorney-General but not bother to read the alleged victim's own words?"

Scott Morrison answered by going through events, saying his office had not kept a copy of the document before forwarding it on to the Federal Police.

The PM said he had become aware on Wednesday of that week about an anonymous set of allegations had been forwarded to some MPs and senators.

Mr Morrison said documents arrived late on Friday afternoon at his Canberra office, but he was in Sydney.

He said they were not "electronic documents", they were "formal documents".

Mr Morrison said he also contacted the Commissioner of the Federal Police on Wednesday and asked for a briefing on what the contents of those allegations were.

"I did not have them. They were not things that I could read at that time," the PM said.

" And I asked the Commissioner whether it was appropriate for me to now raise those matters with the Attorney-General which I did and he vigorously denied those allegations on the matters that were raised in those documents."

Mr Morrison said the Commissioner had also advised MPs that when they recieved such documents, they should be forwarded to the Federal Police because they are the appropriate and competent authorities to determine the veracity of any allegations.

"That's what I did. I believe the police are the appropriate authorities to test such materials," he said.

"I did not have a formal copy to read on the Wednesday. And on the Friday my formal copy was immediately forwarded to the Federal Police where it should have been forwarded.

"I have been briefed, I have made no copies of these documents.

"The documents were provided to the Federal Police. And I was briefed on the contents of those documents by the Police Commissioner.

"Based on that I raise the matters with the Attorney-General and that's where the matter stands."

How can PM maintain he didn't know?

The Prime Minister continues to be questioned about Brittany Higgins.

Lilley MP Anika Wells asked: "How can the Prime Minister maintain that he didn't know about a reported sexual assault just metres from his office for nearly two years when so many other people inside this government knew? And Malcolm Turnbull, Peta Credlin and Julie Bishop all say it is implausible that the Prime Minister didn't know".

Scott Morrison answered: "I could say I wasn't aware of this until February 12 because it is true, Mr Speaker.

"That is the simple truth of the matter."

However, as news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden noted on Twitter, she said the PM may be confused as the first article about Brittany Higgins was not published until the 15th.

"I assume he's got his dates wrong," Maiden wrote.

Mr Morrison later confirmed he had got the date wrong and it should be February 15.

Mr Morrison also pointed to reports in news.com.au today about female Labor staffers who have warned MPs and male staffers accused of sexually harassing them at Parliament House that they will “no longer keep their secrets”.

"I can simply say this about these very sensitive matters," Mr Morrison said.

"They are sensitive matters and they are traumatic matters. And we see that evidenced in the great frustration and anger that is outside of this place today and so many other places. That is genuine and accepted.

"But in this place, in this place if we are to take successful action to address the very issues that are being raised, then the way that that is achieved is not the political weaponisation of these things.

"But dealing with them honestly and sincerely and together and I would invite the Opposition to take that course rather than the alternative which seems to be the approach that they are going down. People in this place live in glass houses."

Did PM undermine Brittany?

Ballarat MP Catherine King asked the PM whether comments that Brittany Higgins made to the March 4 Justice rally in Canberra today were true.

Ms Higgins said: "I watched as the Prime Minister of Australia publicly apologised to me through the media, while privately his media team affectly undermined and discredited my loved ones."

The government has previously denied Ms Higgins’ partner David Sharaz’s claims the media team of the Prime Minister's office was “backgrounding” journalists against him.

Scott Morrison answered: "I have no knowledge of that and would never instruct that, Mr Speaker.

"I would never instruct such a thing, Mr Speaker.

"I would never do that, Mr Speaker.

"The apology offered to Brittany Higgins in this place was sincere and was genuine and I'm happy to restate it."

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/live-breaking-news-investigation-after-toddler-found-in-toilet-with-stranger-at-aquatic-centre/live-coverage/21fb4fe982624a99939f764e44646406