Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the verge of tears addressing culture in parliament

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison burst into tears describing his wife, mother and daughters as “the center of his life”, as he described the “shit” women have endured their entire lives.

In an emotional press conference, the prime minister said he was shocked and disgusted by a month of revelations about alleged rapes, sexual assaults and “disgusting behavior” by men in the House of Parliament.

A Liberal staff member was fired on Monday after Channel 10 broadcast revelations that he had sent an image of himself performing a lewd act on a female MP’s desk to a group of fellow staff members, in the latest scandal to shake. the Parlament.

The prime minister acknowledged that it had been a “traumatic month” in parliament, as former Liberal staff member Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped by a colleague in the building in 2019.

“Criticize me if you like me for talking about my daughters, but they are the center of my life,” he said.

“My wife is the center of my life. My mother, my widowed mother is the center of my life. They motivate me every day in this matter. They have motivated me all my life, they have taught me the values ​​and the faith that sustains me. every day at this job.

“That’s why I’m here, I owe you everything. And to them I say girls, I won’t let you down.

“To the many other women in this place, who have shared their stories with me, I thank you for your comments, your honesty, your support, your advice and your courage.

“I know there are many women who work in this building today, whether they are members or senators, investors, shadow ministers, staff, journalists, who say ‘Why should I bother? Why should I bother? Why shouldn’t I? just walk? away? ‘

“There has never been a more important time for women to be in this place. I want to see more women in this place, I have done anything to make more women in this place and I intend to do more.

“I have put more women in my cabinet than any other prime minister before, and I hope to do more. I need women to support me.”

Morrison said he will address the entire staff today about the revelations that the men had been filmed masturbating at MP desks.

The Prime Minister said that many good men and women worked in the House of Parliament.

“We must put our house in order,” he said.

“Women have been putting up with this shit their whole life.”

In a surprising development, the prime minister also revealed that he was open to the idea of ​​quotas to increase the number of liberal women MPs, an idea he had resisted for decades.

“My colleagues know well that I am very open to these questions. I have had some frustrations trying to get women shortlisted to run for the Liberal Party to come to this place,” he said.

“When it comes to that issue, I don’t have the other reservations. Why? I think other liberals will come to this point over time. We tried it the other way around and it’s not giving us the results. I’d like to see us do better at that front “.

The prime minister said he was considering the issue of consent education in schools and increased funding for rape crisis centers.

“All of the above, and more, and if you go through the fourth national action plan, and a minister of Social Services for whom he had responsibility for the previous national action plans, they include all these things,” he said.

“It is important to remember that these action plans are done in conjunction with the states and territories and many of the services delivered are also delivered by the states, so this is something that we generally have to do together, and we have been doing it together. .

“But I urge that the path that we have to follow is one that we have to walk together. This is not an issue that should be the subject of a partisan contest, it really shouldn’t.