Australia PM Scott Morrison apologises to woman who alleges she was raped in parliament

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on February 16 apologised to a former political adviser who alleged that she was raped in the country’s parliament by an unnamed senior colleague. According to BBC, Brittany Higgins said she had been raped in the office of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019 by someone who also worked for Morrison’s ruling Liberal party. She said that she had feared losing her job after the incident, and had little support from her bosses. 

In a televised interview, Higgins spoke about the incident, prompting shock and outrage over her treatment. Following her allegations, Australian PM apologised and promised a thorough investigation into the government’s workplace culture. Morrison said that he was “shattered” by her claims, and had called for a review into parliament’s environment and culture. 

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He said, “I hope Brittany's call is a wake-up call for all of us”. Morrison said that such an event “should not have happened”, further adding that it would spark a review of the complaints procedure in parliament. The PM also announced an investigation and said that problems crossed over party lines. 

While speaking to reporters, Morrison said, “I want to make sure that any young woman working in this place is as safe as possible”. He added that he had discussed Higgins’ allegations with his wife, who had helped him “clarify” his views. “She said to me: 'You have to think about this as a father first. What would you want to happen if it were our girls?” the PM said. 

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‘Woke up mid-rape…’ 

24-year-old Higgins was a few weeks into a new job with Defence industry Minister Linda Reynolds when she went out for drinks with a group including her alleged attacker, an older male colleague. She revealed that she was offered a lift home by the man at the end of the night, but instead, he took her to parliament house. Higgins said that she was drunk and fell asleep in the minister’s office, before waking to find the man sexually assaulting her. 

“I woke up mid-rape essentially,” she said while speaking to Network Ten’s TV interview. “I started crying… I told him to stop”. Higgins said that the man left immediately afterwards. Further, the 24-year-old said that after informing her employer, she felt Reynold’s office tried to “manage” the situation, downplaying the trauma. 

“It felt like I became... it immediately became a political problem," she said. Higgins also added that Reynolds told her she would be supported if she pursued a police complaint, but she felt pressured not to, believing it would end her career. She even said that the meeting with the minister was held in the room where the alleged attack took place. 

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“There was a loop happening in my mind of this trauma that I'd just sort of come to terms with and I thought it was unfathomable that they would put me in such a place again," she said.

Higgins said that her alleged attacker had been considered a “rising star” of the party. She worked for another minister in Morrison’s Liberal Party before quitting politics. It is worth noting that Higgins' case refocused public scrutiny on the experience of women in Canberra, in particular within the ruling conservative party. According to the BBC, it has also previously been accused of covering sexual misconduct. 

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