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 she was raped by a former colleague in the defense minister’s office after an evening job in March 2019.
In an interview with the Australian network program “The Project” on Monday, Higgins said she was trying to go home, but the unnamed colleague insisted that they take a taxi to the parliament building to “pick up something”, where she handed out on a bench. .
She told ‘The Project’ that she woke up to find her colleague on top of her ‘mid-rape’, and when she repeatedly asked him to stop, he did not do so. Higgins did not publicly identify her alleged rapist.
Higgins said she spoke to police in early April 2019 but decided not to file a formal complaint amid concerns about her career prospects. “This is just not the right decision for me personally, especially given my job requirements,” she wrote according to Australian news.com.au. Canberra police confirmed to Reuters that they spoke to a complainant in April 2019, but she chose not to file a formal complaint.
After Higgins told senior staff in Reynolds’ office about the alleged attack, she said in the interview that she was then asked to attend a meeting in the office where she says she was assaulted.
Defense Secretary Linda Reynolds told parliament on Monday that she did not know the content of the allegations when she convened the meeting with her staff member, and “if I had known, I would have led the meeting elsewhere.”
“It should not have happened, and I apologize,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra. “I want to make sure any young woman working in this place is as safe as possible.”
According to Morrison, Prime Minister and Cabinet officials Stephanie Foster will investigate the handling of complaints in parliament. There will also be a separate investigation into the culture of the workplace.
In a statement to CNN, Higgins said she came forward “because I did not 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 inquiry into the House of Commons’ culture was’ long overdue ‘.
“It should not have been my story or the story of other victims who were on the victim that was broadcast on national television for the prime minister – or any member of parliament – to act on sexual harassment, assault or bullying in the workplace,” she said. said in the statement.
Higgins’ allegations are the latest in a series of accusations made by female members of the ruling Liberal Party that have put Morrison under pressure to take steps to improve the government’s workplace culture.
Last year, a former Liberal Party staffer accused Alan Tudge, then immigration minister, of misconduct, which he denies.
In her statement, Higgins called on Parliament to establish an independent reporting mechanism through which complaints can be kept confidential.
“Ultimately, everyone should feel safe reporting sexual assault without losing their job. These incidents do not have to play out in the media to make a difference,” she said.
Additional reporting by Reuters and Hilary Whiteman.