PM will not be listening to Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins’ speech

Scott Morrison will not be listening when Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins make highly anticipated speeches in Canberra.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed he will not watch a major speech by Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins.

Instead, he will be briefed on its contents afterwards.

Ms Tame and Ms Higgins will front the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday after months of highly publicised criticism of the Prime Minister and his government’s lack of action on women’s issues.

Ahead of parliament’s return on Tuesday, Mr Morrison was asked if he would be one of the many MPs carving out time to listen to the advocates but conceded he wouldn’t have the time to tune in.

“It’s going to be a busy week,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Scott Morrison says he doesn’t have the time to attend the National Press Club. Picture: NCA/Gary Ramage

“I don’t get the opportunity to listen to all these speeches, but I’ll certainly ensure I am aware of what they’ve said.

“I am certainly … very interested in the contribution they have made. I think the contribution they have made has brought forward some very important issues that we’ve had to deal with and we should deal with and were long overdue.”

His concession follows reports the government was applying pressure to Liberal backbenchers not to attend the event over fear it could embarrass the government.

“There's no trust in us (MPs), so it can’t be reciprocated,” a backbencher told AAP.

“The Prime Minister can’t have it both ways. (Scott Morrison) can’t say he doesn’t trust us to act in the interest of the party and the government and listen to (concerns) about an important issue in parliament and the country.”

The snub follows reports backbench MPs had been pressured to not attend the address. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Asked if there had been discouragement from the Prime Minister’s office not to attend, Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer said it had not occurred to her but stopped short of denying reports altogether.

“Certainly not to me, because I don’t actually have a ticket at the moment. I’m on a waitlist,” she said.

The Prime Minister’s office has denied the claims, with a spokesman indicating as long as the MPs were paired and could meet their duties in parliament, they were free to attend.

Bridget Archer said she wants to attend the address but has been unable to secure a ticket. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Allocating a pair is the process of pairing up absent MPs and senators to preserve the voting strength of each party.

But manager of opposition business Tony Burke on Tuesday morning said no such requests had been made to the opposition whips.

“The government haven’t requested any extra (pairs). If they do, of course we give them,” he told the ABC.

“It’s the same approach that we had when the Match for Justice was at the front of the building. This is not a moment where we want anything other than people being able to attend.”

The Prime Minister will not be the only high profile politician absent from the speech.

A key minister has revealed she will be unable to attend.

Ms Higgins alleges she was sexually assaulted by another staff member inside the office of cabinet minister Linda Reynolds in 2019.

Senator Reynolds was later forced to pay compensation and apologise after calling Ms Higgins a “lying cow” the day she went public last year.

Ms Higgins attended a formal acknowledgement of alleged sexual assaults and harassment in Parliament House on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, she will deliver a National Press Club speech alongside Grace Tame.

Senator Reynolds has confirmed she would miss both events after testing positive for Covid-19 in Tasmania.

The minister will miss the entire sitting week.