Morrison feels 'misunderstood' on women

"I was quite shocked and it had an impact on me, but that's nothing compared to the impacts that young women face.” 

Scott Morrison. Picture: Jason Edwards

"I was quite shocked and it had an impact on me, but that's nothing compared to the impacts that young women face.” 

Scott Morrison says he felt misunderstood on the issue of women, which in the aftermath of his party’s election loss has been identified as central to his defeat.

In his final interview on the eve of the election, Morrison confronted one of the most criticised elements of his tenure as prime minister - women. 

Articulating a more reflective position than he had previously shown to the public, Morrison invoked his mum as he spoke of the challenges previous generations had faced when it came to their safety. 

"When I think back over the last 30 years, and the challenges that women face today, I think about the challenges that my mum faced, and the women of my generation faced where there wasn't the attention on these things," he told The Oz.

"There was so much of what we call out today (that) was never called out back then."

Asked directly if he thought he had been misunderstood on his handling of complaints regarding women's safety he said: "yes, I do think that." 

Of all the issues to do with women that inflicted major political blows, it was his mishandling of Brittany Higgins' allegation she had been raped in a ministerial wing at Parliament House that proved most corrosive. 

Brittany Higgins, a former Liberal Party staff member at the National Press Club on February 09, 2022. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Morrison said the matters his government had dealt with had been incredibly sensitive and it had been “very, very hard to navigate that terrain.” 

“Frankly on a lot of these issues, I was quite shocked. Quite shocked and it had an impact on me. But that's nothing compared to the impacts that young women face,” he said.

His prime ministership was also marred by other scandals including assault allegations against Christian Porter and Alan Tudge, which they strenuously denied.

Women voiced their displeasure with the Morrison government’s approach at the ballot box on Saturday, electing a wave of teal independents in a bloodbath that is likely to claim the seat of Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.  

Anthony Albanese by contrast appealed to female voters through key election planks of childcare and healthcare. He also promised to implement all recommendations of the Jenkins review into the work culture at parliament house.

Labor also has better female representation. In 1994 they introduced a quota, saying 35% of its winnable seats at all elections would be filled by women by 2002. The target is now 50% by 2025 for party positions across the board.

Appearing on Channel 9's election panel on Saturday former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said Australian women had sent a powerful message to the Liberal-National coalition.

Julie Bishop appearing on the Channel 9 Live Election coverage.

"We have not mentioned at this point the impact of Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, they changed the narrative when they exposed an ugly side to the workplace in Canberra,' she said. 'That resonated with women.'

Morrison was roundly criticised at the time Ms Higgins' allegations were raised when he said he was prompted to call a review into workplace culture at Parliament House after a discussion with his wife, and considering how he, as a father, would want his daughters to be treated.

Morrison told The Oz the revelations about women's safety had impacted him. 

"I was quite shocked and it had an impact on me, but that's nothing compared to the impacts that young women face.” 

Ahead of his defeat Morrison said he thought Australia was heading in the right direction when it came to women, but still had "quite a way to go."

Reflecting on the Coalition loss on Sunday outgoing Finance Minister Simon Birmingham conceded his party needed to do more to win back Australian women, who they had failed to represent.

"We need to make sure we turn that around as well as the types of policies necessary to appeal to them.” he told the ABC. 

Frydenberg, who is expected to lose his inner Melbourne seat of Kooyong to independent Monique Ryan, said there needed to be more women in parliament.

"We need to get more women into parliament, that is not only a problem for the Coalition. It is a priority for the other major parties.