Extract from ABC News
Analysis
By political reporter James Glenday
Not long ago, a once-in-a-century flood might have been enough to drown out whatever scandal was oozing out of Parliament House.
In previous years, Coalition media advisers concede, they could not have wished for a better distraction than what's taking place on the east coast.
But this moment is different.
Right now, the Morrison government's own missteps in dealing with sexual assault allegations and criticism about the workplace culture in Canberra have only served to keep the issue up in lights.
Consider the complex, messy revelations from yesterday.
The PM told parliament last week the secretary of his department, Philip Gaetjens, was investigating who in his own office was aware of Brittany Higgins's rape allegation before it was made public.
But in Senate estimates, Mr Gaetjens revealed he had paused his inquiry two weeks ago, after getting "strong advice" from Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.
The result?
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese repeatedly accused Scott Morrison of misleading, basically lying, to Parliament, implying he was trying to avoid scrutiny and sweep another scandal under the rug.
Labor also quizzed the PM in Question Time over whether his office had briefed out dirt about Brittany Higgins's loved ones to journalists.
Nine times MPs asked. Not once did they get a straight answer from the PM.
Only a version of: "There is no information in front of me that is suggesting any of these things occurred."
At best, it all looked tricky.
Of course, most Australians don't closely follow what happens in Parliament, let alone the complex intricacies of who said what, when. And that means Coalition advisers are confident yesterday's events won't resonate far from Capital Hill.
But within this building and broader political circles, the government has a problem.
An increasing number of current and former political staff are annoyed with Scott Morrison's tendency to dodge key questions, and a few of his recent comments — particularly the "bullets" for protesters remark he made last week — have caused frustration.
Some are deeply concerned at the glacial pace of cultural change in Canberra, and more are starting to share what they know.
More people are speaking out about the culture in Canberra
For example, just last week, three former female ministerial advisers anonymously spoke out about the sexist behaviour of a government staffer.
On Wednesday, media adviser Andrew Hudgson was sacked, after being accused in Tasmanian Parliament of calling a senior female politician a "meth head c***".
Channel Ten yesterday aired explosive allegations from an anonymous whistle-blower, including a claim about Coalition staff filming themselves performing solo sex acts on the desks of female MPs. A staffer was later sacked.
Then last night a security guard spoke to Four Corners about what happened on the evening Brittany Higgins was allegedly raped.
Discretion and loyalty are qualities highly valued in Parliament House. Speaking out, even anonymously, can have enormous, lifelong career consequences.
But some in Canberra, mostly women, believe they aren't being listened to and that sharing their stories is the only way to make a serious difference.
From the outset, the opposition has accused the PM of trying to manage the allegations of rape, misogyny and sexism as another political problem, instead of taking them seriously.
It is a view that seems to be starting to seep into a few in his own ranks.
At a minimum, Mr Morrison might be best advised not to feed that perception. He could start by directly answering questions.
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