Sky News misinformer, Peta Credlin, dropped bombshell claims that former Liberal staffers hosted gay orgies in Parliament House.
Right, there’s a lot to unpack here. Credlin, a former federal parliamentary staffer, claimed during her segment on Sky News on Wednesday night to have previously sacked the staffer who masturbated on the desk of a federal MP at Parliament house.
Credlin, who served as chief of staff to former Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, said she was collecting evidence for the reviews being carried out by Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, into Parliament’s questionable work culture.
“The other three that Peter van Onselen broke in his story this week, I know who you are. I see you,” she said while referring back to this week’s masturbation video scandal.
“The former minister who is alleged to have male prostitutes delivered to Parliament House … the former minister? I see you too.”
The Australian reported allegations on Monday night that a group of at least four Coalition men shared images and videos of sex acts over a two-year period ending last year through Facebook Messenger.
The allegations were provided by a whistleblower who admitted to some of the alleged conduct he was detailing on the condition of anonymity.
Peta Credlin says she knows the identity of the other 3 staffers involved in the Channel 10 report
Josh Frydenberg says “efforts are being made” to find their identities
I asked if they’d rung Peta Credlin to ask her who they are, but he said no pic.twitter.com/jsiCJD0ZyT
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 24, 2021
The masturbation incident has since been condemned by Scott Morrison, the minister for women, Marise Payne, and the finance minister, Simon Birmingham. “My government has identified the staff member at the centre of these allegations and has terminated his employment immediately,” Morrison said in a statement on Monday.
However, in another jarring twist that didn’t involve the videos, Credlin claimed there was evidence of a Liberal staff member involved in “orgies” around the clock at Parliament house.
“When the MP cleaned out the staffer’s desk and the computer, that MP uncovered evidence that for many months that staffer had regularly met with other men, in the middle of the day, when the MP was in question time, for orgies in political offices,” she said. “Labor staffers, not just this Coalition man, and a number of others too.”
Credlin said she “copped hit after hit” for years from unnamed sources about “staff being vetted” and “complaints that I had knocked back applicants from some ministers”.
“Yes I did, and I stand by every decision I made to knock them back. And I would do it all again,” she said. “I have never publicly spoken about my side before, but given where we are, given the recent issues regarding women, given the anger so many good staff feel today about the poor reputations they are copping over the behaviour of a few, I am not going to stand silent anymore.”
I log off this hellsite for a day and it’s now escalated to “parliamentary ga(y)ngbangs” and Peta Credlin is involved bc of course. FMD.
— Alex Turnbull (@alexbhturnbull) March 24, 2021
Credlin recently fell into hot water after falsely claiming that ex-prime minister, Kevin Rudd’s petition for a Royal Commission into the Murdoch media monopoly was harvesting data.
However, amid public fury over unsavoury work-culture in Parliament House, her 16 years working in Canberra have placed her back in the centre of what is soon-to-be one of Australia’s most tumultuous political scandals.
The Coalition staffer being condemned for allegedly masturbating over a female MP’s desk was a longtime Liberal aide who had input into combatting sexual harassment in parliament.
The now-dismissed aide had been employed off and on for more than a decade and was no stranger to the senior levels of Parliament, having previously worked for senior figures responsible for the management of the House of Representatives in both government and opposition.
I log off this hellsite for a day and it’s now escalated to “parliamentary ga(y)ngbangs” and Peta Credlin is involved bc of course. FMD.
— Alex Turnbull (@alexbhturnbull) March 24, 2021
The masturbation incident’s exposure occurred as the government struggles to manage the fallout for its handling of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation and an accusation of sexual assault against Attorney-General, Christian Porter, which he vehemently denies.
