Prime Minister Scott Morrison won’t attend March 4 Justice but will meet with protest organisers ‘in private’

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will meet with organisers of the March 4 Justice “in private” but will not attend the historic anti-rape rally in person.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has agreed to personally meet the organisers of the Women’s March 4 Justice on Monday in Canberra but will not attend the anti-rape rally in person.

More than 75,000 women and men are expected to rally across Australia in protests that follow former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ revelations of an alleged rape at Parliament House and historical rape allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter.

Mr Porter completely denies the allegations and the Prime Minister has declared him an “innocent man under the law”.

Organiser Janine Hendry told news.com.au that while the PM had declined an opportunity to attend the rally, he was now offering the women a meeting in his office after the rally.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has agreed to meet with organisers of the March 4 Justice rally in Canberra on Monday. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

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“I have written to him and I asked him to stand with us and march with us and that offer still stands,’’ she told news.com.au.

“I really need more information before I decide if I do choose to go with the meeting, who I will take with me.”

Foreign Minister Marise Payne sparked anger over the weekend after revealing that she would refuse to meet Ms Hendry in person to accept a petition.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack also shocked a TV panel after saying he didn’t have 10 minutes to listen to protesters in Canberra who aim to highlight violence and sexual misconduct against women.

Mr McCormack said he “already (had) commitments” when asked if he would attend the Women’s March 4 Justice, which will take place when federal parliament resumes on Monday.

Protesters are set to descend on Parliament House as part of nationwide rallies over violence against women.

“I believe if you make commitments, then you should stick to those. But I appreciate that this is an important issue,” Mr McCormack told the ABC’s Insiders.

“Are you seriously saying you won’t have ten minutes to go and listen to the women who are coming to Canberra?” host David Speers asked.

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Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he had meetings. Picture: Dylan Coker/NCA NewsWire

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“No, I’ve got meetings all day,” Mr McCormack said.

The Women’s March 4 Justice on Monday was inspired by a woman’s Twitter post.

Janine Hendry, a Melbourne academic, designer, entrepreneur and single mum, asked Twitter whether it would be possible to form a ring of people around Parliament House as a silent protest from “extremely disgruntled women”.

Parliament has been rocked by allegations of sexual assault, after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ claims she was raped by a colleague in Linda Reynolds’ parliamentary office in 2019 sparked outrage.

Attorney-General Christian Porter was also accused of raping a 16-year old in 1988, when he was 17, an allegation he emphatically denied.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would not attend the marches but would welcome a delegation of protesters to meet him privately in his office.

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Scott Morrison says he’s ‘happy’ to meet March 4 Justice protesters, but in private. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

Minister for Women Marise Payne won’t meet the marchers in person. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

“I haven’t had a habit of going to any marches when they’ve come to Canberra because as Prime Minister, when you’re in Canberra, it’s a very busy day,” Mr Morrison said on Sunday.

“I’ll meet them privately in my office and I’ll listen carefully to what they’re coming to say.”

It comes after Nine newspapers reported Minister for Women Marise Payne would not meet the protesters in person, and instead only receive their petition via correspondence.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese will be attending the march alongside a group of Labor MPs, and accused the government of “snubbing” a grassroots movement.

“It is important that we listen to what the community is saying, that was submissions that Grace Time the Australian of the Year said at the National Press Club,” he told Sky News.

“We do have a scourge of violence against women, and against children. We need to listen to what people are saying and tomorrow’s an opportunity to do that.”