Morrison promised an investigation into the alleged rape and culture in the country’s political capital, a day after the former staff member went to the media with her story.
Brittany Higgins claims that she was raped by a former colleague in the office of the Minister of Defense after an evening event in March 2019.
In an interview with Australia’s The Project on Monday 10, Higgins said he tried to go home, but his unnamed colleague insisted on taking a taxi to Parliament to “pick up something” where he went out on a couch. . .
She told the “Project” that she woke up to find her colleague on top of the “rape in the middle”, and when she repeatedly asked him to stop, he did not. Higgins did not publicly identify the alleged rapist.
Higgins said he spoke with police in early April 2019, but decided not to file a formal complaint amid concerns about his career prospects. “It’s not the right decision for me personally, especially in light of my demands at work,” she wrote, according to news.com.au in Australia. Canberra police confirmed to Reuters that they had spoken to a complainant in April 2019, but had chosen not to file a formal complaint.
After Higgins told senior staff at Reynolds’ office about the alleged attack, she said in an interview that she was then asked to attend an office meeting where she said she had been assaulted.
Defense Minister Linda Reynolds told parliament on Monday she did not know the merits of the allegations when she convened a meeting with her personal member and “if I had known, I would have led the meeting elsewhere”.
“That shouldn’t have happened, and I apologize,” Morrison told Canberra reporters. “I want to make sure that any young woman who works in this place is as safe as possible.”
According to Morrison, the Prime Minister’s Department and cabinet official Stephanie Foster will investigate how complaints are handled in Parliament’s workplace. There will also be a separate culture probe at work.
In a statement to CNN, Higgins said he introduced himself “because I didn’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else.”
While thanking Morrison for his apology, Higgins said the prime minister’s announcement of an investigation into Parliament’s culture was “long overdue”.
“My story or the story of other victims-survivors should not have been broadcast on national television for the Prime Minister – or any member of Parliament – to take action on sexual harassment, assault or assault at work,” he said. she said in a statement.
Higgins’ allegations are the latest in a series of allegations made by women members of the ruling Liberal Party that have put pressure on Morrison to take steps to improve the government’s workplace culture.
Last year, a former Liberal Party staff member accused then-Immigration Minister Alan Tudge of misconduct, which he denies.
In his statement, Higgins called on Parliament to set up an independent reporting mechanism through which complaints could be kept confidential.
“Ultimately, everyone should feel safe to report sexual assault without fear of losing their job. These incidents should not be played out in the media for the change to happen,” he said. she said.
Additional reports by Reuters and Hilary Whiteman.