Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has apologized to a former political adviser who was allegedly raped by a senior colleague in a parliamentary cabinet.
Brittany Higgins said she was afraid of losing her job after the 2019 incident, and had no support from her superiors.
Mr. Morrison’s Statement
Ms Higgins, 26, said this in a TV interview on Monday that caused shock and anger at her treatment.
Mr Morrison apologized for the government’s handling of the complaint.
The allegations are now under new police investigation.
Mr Morrison said he was “disturbed” by her claims, and called for a review of Parliament’s environment and culture.
“I hope Brittany’s call is a wake-up call for all of us,” he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
But Mr Morrison was also criticized for saying he understood the allegations better after considering them as a father of two girls.
Brittany Higgins’ Allegations
Ms Higgins, who was 24 at the time, was just a few weeks into the new job with Defense Industry Minister Linda Reynolds when she went for a drink with a group that included her alleged rapist, who worked with her, an older male colleague.
She said that she was given a lift home by the man at the end of the night, but instead he took her to Parliament.
Ms Higgins said she was drunk and slept in the minister’s office, before waking up to find the man sexually abusing her.
“I woke up mid-rape essentially,” she told Network Ten. “I started crying… I told him to stop.”
She said the man left immediately afterwards.
How Was Her Complaint Dealt?
After informing her employer, Ms. Higgins felt that Ms. Reynolds’ office was trying to “manage” the situation, underestimating her trauma.
“It felt like I became… it immediately became a political problem,” she said.
Ms Higgins said Ms Reynolds had told her she would be supported if she continued with the police complaint, but she felt pressured not to do so, believing it would end her career.
She said a meeting with the minister was also held in the same room where the incident took place.
“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.
Ms Higgins said her attacker was said to be considered the “rising star” of the party.
She worked for another minister in Mr Morrison’s Liberal Party before quitting politics.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Reaction
Mr Morrison apologised specifically for the meeting in Ms Reynolds’ office, where Ms Higgins alleges the rape took place.
He said such an event “should not have happened”, saying it would spark a review of the complaints procedure in parliament.
The prime minister also announced a review into the professional culture of parliament, saying problems crossed over party lines.
“I want to make sure that any young woman who works in this area is as safe as possible,” he said.
Mr Morrison said that he had discussed Ms 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?'”
His comments have drawn strong online criticism from women who suggest that Mr Morrison should not do so.
“It should not take a man with a daughter to treat women who have been attacked with compassion and respect,” wrote author Jamila Rizvi on Twitter.
Where Does Woman’s Stature Stand In Australian Politics?
Australian politics has long faced allegations of being a hostile environment for women.
Ms Higgins’ case has refocused public scrutiny on the experience of women in Canberra, in particular within the ruling conservative party. It has previously been accused of covering up sexual misconduct.
Ahead of the 2019 general election, Mr Morrison denied that his party had a “women’s problem”, following the departure of several women lawyers.
One of the former MPs, Julia Banks, tweeted on Monday: “Once again, Parliament House has proven to be a very unsafe and toxic culture in the workplace for women in the country.”
Ms Higgins said she was motivated to speak out about her experience after an ABC investigation last year aired allegations of inappropriate behaviour by government ministers.
At that time, Mr. Morrison was also criticized for interrupting a female minister who was answering a question about what it is like to be a woman in parliament.
