A ‘tearful’ Scott Morrison took to the stage this morning to tell us how his daughters, his wife, and his mother are the centre of his life.
Yeah, we know. That’s how he began his election campaign – “Aren’t they fantastic How good is Mum? How good is Jenny?”
So, aside from the fact that he has female relatives, why was Scotty upset?
“I acknowledge that many Australians, especially women, believe that I have not heard them, and that greatly distresses me.”
The tears were not for the victims and survivors of sexual assault. It very much sounded like the PM is finally realising that this could hurt him electorally.
“Now is not the time for me to run over whether as a Minister for immigration or a Treasurer, or a Minister for Social Services, the keen interest I have shown in these issues, I’m not going to do that today.”
Keen interest??? So interested that you did nothing about the complaints from female colleagues about bullying and harassment during your knifing of an elected Prime Minister? So interested that your staff and colleagues made sure not to tell you about two rape allegations so you could do your Sgt Schultz act?
“I have heard that women are overlooked, talked over, by men, whether it is in board rooms, meeting rooms, rooms, media conferences, cabinets, or anywhere else. Overlooked and treated like they have nothing valuable to contribute.”
Oh you’ve only ‘heard’ about that? Did you hear it from Julie Bishop?
Recalling incidents in 2013, where she was at one point the only woman in cabinet, Ms Bishop spoke of the difficulty of getting her voice heard in a room full of 18 men.
“People would be talking and then I would intervene to say something and there would be silence, and then they’d just keep on talking,” she said. “(Then) somebody would say precisely what I’d said and all the guys would say ‘gee that’s a great idea, why don’t we do that?’ And I’d think, didn’t I say that?”
Or perhaps you heard it from Anne Ruston who you wouldn’t even let answer a question directed to her about the culture in parliament.
Phil Coorey, journalist: “As a woman in government, your reflections on the culture inside, has it got better, worse or no change since the ‘bonk ban’?”
Ruston: “Well, Phil, the only thing that I can …”
Morrison: “How this ban is referred to I think is quite dismissive of the seriousness of the issue, Phil. And I would ask the media to stop referring to it in that way. We took it very seriously, and I think constantly referring to it in that way dismisses the seriousness of this issue. It’s a very serious issue. Thanks. Anne.”
Scotty has also heard about women “being belittled, women being diminished, and women being objectified. That is not OK.”
Perhaps he heard that from Pamela Anderson when she urged him to help Julian Assange.
“I’ve had plenty of mates who’ve asked me if they can be my special envoy to sort the issue out with Pamela Anderson,” smirked Scotty.
“You trivialised and laughed about the suffering of an Australian and his family. You followed it with smutty, unnecessary comments about a woman voicing her political opinion,” Ms Anderson wrote in response.
“Rather than making lewd suggestions about me, perhaps you should instead think about what you are going to say to millions of Australians when one of their own is marched in an orange jumpsuit to Guantanamo Bay – for publishing the truth.”
Scotty kept up his caring façade until it came to questions from the media.
When asked if he had “lost control of his staff”, Morrison reverted to type, attacking the journalist who had asked the question.
“You would be aware that in your own organisation that there is a person who has had a complaint made against them for harassment of a woman,” Mr Morrison told Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell, after being asked about parliamentary culture. “That matter is being pursued by your own HR department.”
“if anyone in this room wants to offer up the standards in their own work places as comparison, I would invite you to do so. You are free to make your criticisms and to stand on that pedestal but be careful.”
Ahhh, the old ‘glass houses’ attack – just like his warnings to Labor. Dob on us and see what happens.
The problem was it seems Scotty gave details of the alleged incident on national TV without gaining the consent of the woman who had made the complaint.
So much for respecting the agency and confidentiality of the complainant, the excuse used for the disgraceful handling/coverup of the Higgins case.
Spare me your tears about how unfairly you have been treated, Scott, Linda and Christian. It’s not about you.
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