Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologized on Tuesday to a former member of the government who allegedly was raped by a colleague in a minister’s office two years ago. Former staffer Brittany Higgins said in a television interview on Monday that a colleague raped her in the office of then-Defense Minister Linda Reynolds weeks before the 2019 election and did not receive the support she needed. from bosses or other colleagues.
The man she accused, who was not named, was fired for a security breach, taking Higgins to the minister’s office and leaving her there on a couch after a night of heavy drinking.
Higgins, who was Reynolds’ media adviser, said he decided not to pursue a police complaint at the time because he felt pressured that this would affect his employment.
She resigned in January this year and said she intended to reinstate her police complaint.
“I think resignation is the only thing I can personally do to say that I don’t think anyone else should go through what I went through,” Higgins told Network Ten.
Morrison said Reynolds should not have asked Higgins about her accusation in the same office where Higgins claimed the rape took place.
Mick Tsikas / AP
“That shouldn’t have happened, and I apologize,” Morrison told reporters.
Reynolds, who is now defense minister, apologized for raising the issue with Higgins in his office, adding that the minister had not done enough to support staff for 24 years.
“I deeply, deeply regret the meeting in my office where the alleged incident took place,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds told the Senate she never gave Higgins a choice between her job and the police complaint.
Morrison described Higgins’ accusations as a wake-up call that must lead to changes in Parliament.
“It destroys me that even today, a young woman can find herself in the vulnerable situation she was in, not in what she is doing,” Morrison said.
“We need to do more, whether it’s this job or any other job in the country, to make sure that people can work safely in their place and be in the best possible position and do what they did in that job, “he added.
Morrison called on government lawmaker Celia Hammond to work with political parties to investigate the culture of the House of Parliament, improve workplace standards and protect staff.
For such an accusation, an automatic reporting obligation to department officials will be established, Morrison said.
Morrison said he first heard about Higgins’ accusation on Monday, and his office only found out about it last Friday.
The opposition wondered how Morrison could continue to trust Reynolds because he had not told her about the alleged rape.
“I understand that the minister acted in good faith towards Brittany and sought to support it,” Morrison said.
Higgins issued a media statement on Tuesday thanking Morrison for his apology.
“The prime minister’s announcement of a culture inquiry in the House of Parliament is a welcome first step, although it has been a long time,” Higgins said.
“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 added.
The House of Parliament needed an independent reporting mechanism for staff so that they could make complaints confidently and safely, Higgins said.
The Associated Press does not usually identify alleged victims of sexual assault, but Higgins chose to identify himself in the media.
Opinion polls show that Morrison’s Conservative coalition government lost power in the 2019 elections, which took place a few weeks after the alleged rape. But the government won a narrow victory.