Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison publicly apologised for raising an unsubstantiated allegation of harassment at a media company as he defended his handling of a scandal over the treatment of women in politics and his party.

At a media conference on Tuesday, Morrison (photo, above) had said he would drive cultural change amid mounting public dissatisfaction over a series of allegations about the mistreatment of women, and conceded there had been unhappiness with his handling of the issue...