It might be Friday but politicians and their staffers continued to be asked uncomfortable questions by the bucketload today.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his timeline of events regarding a young staffer's alleged rape at Parliament House after texts uncovered by The Australian suggested the PM's office was aware of the situation in April 2019.
Ms Higgins believes at least three of his staff had prior knowledge of the incident. Mr Morrison wants the nation's top public servant to review communication records.
Also in Canberra, it has been revealed Liberal MP Craig Kelly's senior aide faces multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviour made by young women.
Today The Guardian reported that back in September 2020, police from Sutherland, in Sydney's south, successfully sought an AVO against Kelly's longtime office manager, Frank Zumbo, whose job included hiring and managing interns and work experience staff.
No charges have yet been laid and Prof Zumbo continues to work in the role.
The political eco-system in Adelaide was shaken awake in the early hours of Friday when a Liberal MP suddenly resigned to sit on the cross-benches.
That plunged the state government into a minority but was probably the last thing on MP Fraser Ellis' mind.
The office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption formally charged the member for Narungga with 23 counts of deception, relating to 78 fraudulent claims over the alleged misuse of a travel allowance totalling more than $18,000.
Mr Ellis has said he is "completely innocent: and will "vigorously" defend himself.
On the COVID front in Australia, three new locally-acquired cases were revealed in Victoria: all from the same family. The new infections bring the total number of active cases in the state to 27.
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THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- New COVID cases linked to one family, more vaccine details
- Texts cast doubt on alleged rape response
- Can my boss force me to get the COVID-19 jab?
- Another public servant stood down for alleged historical sexual misconduct
- ACT restrictions to ease as contact tracing app becomes mandatory
- Is the Liberal Party running a protection racket?
- Ellis quits, leaves SA Govt in minority
- First Pfizer shot is 85% effective: study