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Australian govt rocked by leaked video allegedly showing sex acts in parliament; aide fired

WION Web Team
AustraliaUpdated: Mar 23, 2021, 06:35 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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A whistleblower, a former government officer, claims members of parliament used the prayer room to have sex

The Australian parliament is once again in the news and for all the wrong reasons. After a couple of women came forward to tell their tales of sexual assault within the parliament building, a video has emerged that allegedly showed the staff members performing sexual acts in the offices.

Footage leaked to media allegedly showed a senior aide performing a sex act on a female MP’s desk.  The aide has been fired from his position in the Australian parliament.

This video was leaked by a former government staff member, who claims to have become “immune” due to the high volume of such images and videos he had received.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described the new turn of events as “disgraceful”.

The video in question was filmed two years ago. The former government officer also claimed that members of parliament used the prayer room to have sex, and some even brought sex workers into the parliament.

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Describing some of the members of parliament as “morally bankrupt”, the whistleblower said the parliament composes of a “culture of men thinking that they can do whatever they want”.

Morrison said he was “shocked” after he got to know about the “disgraceful” video. “We must get this house in order. We must put the politics aside on these things, and we must recognise this problem, acknowledge it, and we must fix it,” he said.

This has come after friends of a victim sent a letter to the authorities alleging she had been sexually assaulted by a senior member of the parliament. Another local, Brittany Higgins, alleged that she was raped by a senior colleague in an office in the Australian parliament in March 2019.

Women in Australia have been trying to fight against these assaults, on behalf of women who feel too threatened to come out and not lose their jobs.

(With inputs from agencies)