Scott Morrison defends response to Parliament House sexism outcry

Mr Morrison has also acknowledged criticisms over his handling of the fallout to the Brittany Higgins allegations, accepting that Australians - particularly women - didn't believe he had "heard" them over the past month.

However, Mr Morrison hasn't announced any new measures to tackle the problem, saying "today is not the day".

The Prime Minister fronted the media on Tuesday morning following an explosive Ten News report that revealed a government staffer had filmed himself performing a "solo sex act" on the desk of a female Member of Parliament before sharing it in a group chat.

One staffer was sacked late on Monday following the report.

Mr Morrison said he was shocked, disgusted and appalled by the reports of the staffers' behavior, which has come amid intense scrutiny of Parliament House's culture sparked by revelations of Ms Higgins' alleged rape.

"We must get this house in order," he said.

"This has been a very traumatic month.

"It began with Brittany Higgins and her revelations of what took place in this very building. I remember that day very well, I was equally shocked and stunned at receiving that news also.

"These events have triggered, right across this building and indeed right across the country, women who have put up with this rubbish and this cloud for their entire lives, as their mothers did, as their grandmothers did."

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Mr Morrison has been criticised for various public comments in the past month, including him admitting that his wife Jenny helped him understand how to respond to Ms Higgins' allegations. He also drew condemnation on the afternoon of the peaceful March 4 Justice rallies for noting that protests in other countries "were met with bullets".

Mr Morrison accepted "many have not liked or appreciated some of my own personal responses to this" and conceded he could have chosen his words differently.

He became emotional as he declared he wanted women afforded the same opportunities, voice and level of safety as men in this country.

"I have the deepest of vested interest," he said.

"Criticise me if you like for speaking about my daughters, but they are the centre of my life. My wife is the centre of my life. My mother, my widowed mother is the centre of my life. They motivate me every day on this issue."

But the prime minister's empathy turned to unbridled rage when Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell asked whether he had lost control of his ministerial staff.

Mr Morrison responded by airing details of an internal sexual harassment complaint he claims occurred at News Corp.

"Right now, you would be aware in your own organisation, there is a person who has had a complaint made against them for harassment of a woman in a women's toilet," he said.

"And that matter is being pursued by your own HR department.

"So let's not, all of us who sit in glass houses here, start getting into that."

Clennell later revealed a senior media adviser confirmed the Prime Minister was not referring to Sky News.

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The prime minister was pressed on how he did not know about the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins inside a ministerial office for more than two years, yet somehow knew of a private complaint in a media company.

"That was brought to my attention late last night, and the issue of Brittany Higgins was only brought to my attention on February 15," he said.

"The suggestion was made by a member of the press gallery that things like this don't happen in the media, and I think that would be unfair."

Mr Morrison was also asked whether he raised the alleged incident in the media against the wishes of the complainant, but provided no direct response.

Senior cabinet ministers who knew about the alleged rape of Ms Higgins have repeatedly claimed they did not escalate her complaint due to privacy concerns.

Mr Morrison will address coalition staff later on Tuesday, while Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is set to speak to Liberal and Nationals MPs.

After cabinet minister Karen Andrews suggested gender quotas in the Liberal Party, Mr Morrison said he had been open to the idea "for some time".

"We tried it the other way and it isn't getting us the results so I would like to see us do better on that front," the federal Liberal leader said.

Labor frontbencher and ACT MP Katy Gallagher was scathing of the Prime Minister's performance.

"Real leadership is what was needed this morning - but we got the same old PM - angry, defensive, spiteful and calculated," she said.

"We are all let down by this PM."

Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally acknowledged Mr Morrison's mea culpa but questioned why it took five weeks of anger to spark the response.

"What I haven't heard from the prime minister is what he is going to do about that," she told Sky News.

"If the prime minister is serious about making real change ... then let's see some specific actions."

Senator Keneally said quotas for coalition preselection, domestic violence services and closing the gender pay gap were key issues that needed action.

A guard on duty the night of the alleged rape of Ms Higgins office has questioned the Prime Minister's claim the accused man had been sacked because of a "security breach".

Mr Morrison said the accused man had been sacked because he had "form", including accessing classified documents in the then defence industry minister's office.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham insists attending the office out of hours for a non-work purpose while drunk did amount to a security breach, but the guard did nothing wrong.

With AAP

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