Scott Morrison has conceded "blokes don't get it right all the time" after copping criticism for his failed attempt to reset debate on the treatment of women.
The prime minister tried to apologise for his failings over the past month and commit to doing better for women during a press conference in Canberra on Tuesday.
But his attempt at a mea culpa went awry when Mr Morrison accused a media organisation of harassment within its own office.
The prime minister says he deeply regrets his insensitive response to questions around workplace behaviour in Parliament House.
During the nationally televised press conference, he claimed News Corp was handling a complaint about a woman being harassed in a female toilet.
News Corp came out swinging after the prime minister made the claims, saying no such complaint existed.
Chairman Michael Miller suggested Mr Morrison had conflated a report about a verbal exchange between two employees with the broader national debate about the harassment of women.
Mr Miller said the comments undermined the principle that people must be able to raise issues safely and in confidence.
The prime minister said he accepted News Corp's account, he was wrong to raise the issue, and the emotion of the moment was no excuse.
"I especially wish to apologise to the individual at the centre of the incident and others directly impacted," he said.
"I had no right to raise this issue and especially without their permission."
Mr Morrison tried to explain himself further during a talkback radio interview on Wednesday.
"Blokes don't get it right all the time - we all know that - but what matters is that we are desperately trying to and that's what I am trying to do," he told 2GB radio.
The prime minister said he was not "pointing any fingers" at others over the treatment of women.
Greens leader Adam Bandt said his apology was not good enough.
"The PM must explain to parliament today how this lie came into being and why he told the public something that wasn't true," he said.
"If he's prepared to say something like this that appears simply made up, what else has he told the public that isn't true?"
Labor has accused the prime minister of weaponising the harassment claim.
The opposition has questioned why any woman would come forward with concerns if they know their allegations are going to be aired on national television.
Labor's government accountability spokesperson Kristina Keneally said Mr Morrison's misstep was symptomatic of his handling of wider concerns around the treatment of women.
"Nobody gets it right all the time but we have had five weeks of this Prime Minister not listening to women," she told the ABC on Wednesday afternoon.
"I am not interested in what the Prime Minister says [or] the tone in which he says it. I am interested in what he is going to do."
Meanwhile, the person charged with overhauling workplace culture inside Parliament House is expecting a broad range of people to come forward and tell their stories, including people in non-political roles.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said her review would extend far beyond Capital Hill.
"People might be at polling booths or might be at social events," she told a Senate committee.
Her review was sparked by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins coming forward last month to allege she was raped by a colleague inside Parliament House after a night out in 2019.
Additional reporting by Tom Stayner.
