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Scott Morrison Interrupted Senior Female Minister In Effort To Prove He Respects Women Very Much

You cannot make this stuff up.

by Rashna Farrukh  10 November 2020
Ruston

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Scott Morrison confirmed the workplace culture for woman in Parliament House has, in fact, not improved after he interrupted Senior Minister Anne Ruston at a press conference where she was about to answer a question directed specifically to her on the matter.

After Monday night’s Four Corner investigation into the toxic workplace culture which has impacted women working in Parliament House, which you can read all about in our explainer here, the government has come under fire for allowing male behaviour which has negatively impacted women’s work lives go unchecked.

You can watch the press conference here:

In the video, a journalist directly addresses Minister Ruston, “Ms Ruston, as a woman in the government, your reflections on the culture inside, hasn’t gotten better, worse, or no change since the introduction of those standards?”

Ruston only gets this far: “The thing I can…”

Before she is interrupted by the Prime Minister who goes on a complete tangent on how he does not like the term “bonk ban”:
“Sorry. How this ban is referred to is quite dismissive of the issue. I would ask media to stop referring to it in that way. We took it very seriously. And constantly referring to it in this way takes away from its seriousness was that it is a very serious issue.”

The journalist is having none of it: “And? What are your impressions?”

Leaving Ruston to finally answer: “I can only reflect on my own experience, since I have been in this place since 2012, and I have to say I have always felt wholly supported while I have been here at — I have been here since 2012, and since becoming a member of the cabinet, there is nobody who has provided me more support and shown greater respect towards me as an individual than the Prime Minister.” 

Interesting — if you consider being interrupted on live television respectful.

People were also unimpressed by Ruston’s response (y’know when she finally got the chance the answer).