Labor, Greens ‘should adopt bonk ban’, says Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison has urged Labor and the Greens to ban senior MPs from having sex with their staff but says he won’t discipline Christian Porter and Alan Tudge.

Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian Porter, right, in question time on Tuesday. Picture: Sean Davey

Scott Morrison has urged Labor and the Greens to ban senior MPs from having sex with their staff but says he won’t discipline Christian Porter and Alan Tudge for alleged conduct that occurred three years ago.

While Mr Tudge, the Acting Immigration Minister, kept a low profile on Tuesday, Mr Porter ­continued to defend himself against the ABC’s Four Corners program but failed to rule out having “intimate relations” with a staffer.

The Attorney-General said he had not breached the ministerial standard introduced by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and maintained by the Prime Minister, which says ministers must not have sexual relations with their staff.

Mr Porter and Mr Tudge were embroiled in the Four Corners sex expose after former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller admitted she had an affair with Mr Tudge and ­alleged Mr Porter kissed and ­cuddled a young female staffer at Canberra’s Public Bar.

Mr Morrison said the matters predated his time in the top job and were addressed by Mr Turnbull.

His ministers were in “no doubt” about what his expectations of them were, he said.

“Those standards in my government that are set out in that code will be upheld, and I would invite the leader of the Greens (Adam Bandt) and I would invite the leaders of other political parties in this place to ensure that their staff have the same protection that staff in my ministers’ ­offices have,” he said.

Mr Morrison hit out at the ABC for focusing on one side of politics a day after the broadcaster’s managing director, David Anderson, was forced to defend the program’s impartiality and integrity to Liberal senators.

“If anyone who has had any ­experience around this place thinks that issues in the past are limited to one side of politics well, honestly, you reckon? You really reckon?” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Porter insisted there was a “substantial basis” for suing the ABC but said he did not want it to become a distraction, indicating he may let legal action slide.

Mr Turnbull said he confronted Mr Porter about his behaviour before appointing him Attorney-General.

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge arrives in the chamber. Picture: Sean Davey

Asked on 6PR radio if he had ever had intimate relations with a staffer, Mr Porter responded: “I’m not even sure the program made that allegation.

“They (the ABC report) indicated I had, I think implied that I had with a person I had a drink at a bar with and I said to Four Corners that their depiction of those interactions in that bar 3½ years ago were wrong. I told Malcolm there was no substance to rumours around that bar story.”

When the question was put to him a second time, Mr Porter said: “I’ve answered your question.”

Mr Porter said he regretted how he had behaved while he was at law school 25-30 years ago, which was “way too rowdy”, but maintained it was not a fair indication of who he was now.

The Attorney-General said his separation from his wife, Jennifer Negus, earlier this year had not been not because of “this sort of stuff”. He added that he did not ­expect any women to come forward with complaints.

Anthony Albanese told his MPs that it was important for everyone working at Parliament House to be vigilant of the culture that existed in the building.

The Opposition Leader labelled the Four Corners alle­gations “deeply disturbing” and said no matter what side of politics a staffer worked on, they must feel supported and safe.

He also noted that Labor had a ­“robust” internal ­complaints process for any sexual harassment complaints.

The Labor leader asked Mr Morrison just one question about the sex scandal in parliament: would he assure Australians that his ministerial standards have been and will be enforced?

“That is always the case,” Mr Morrison responded.