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2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations

March 24, 2023

In February and March 2021, a number of allegations involving rape and other sexual misconduct against women involving the Australian Parliament and federal politicians were raised, causing controversy especially for the federal Liberal-National Morrison government.

Australian Parliament House, Canberra, where a rape is alleged to have occurred in 2019

2019 rape allegation by Brittany Higgins

Background and allegation

On 15 February 2021, Liberal Party junior staffer Brittany Higgins alleged to two media outlets, news.com.au and The Project,[1] that she was raped in the early hours of 23 March 2019 in then-Defence Industry Minister Senator Linda Reynolds' office in the ministerial wing of Parliament House by a colleague, later named as Bruce Lehrmann, after security guards admitted the pair into the building.[2][3] Higgins said she became heavily intoxicated at a work party and left with her colleague in a taxi, believing they would both be dropped at their respective homes; instead she said she was taken to Parliament House and raped while slipping in and out of consciousness,[4][5] waking to find her skirt around her waist.[6] In contrast, Lehrmann told police that he and Higgins returned to Parliament House because he needed to pick up his keys, and as Higgins indicated she also needed to return to the office he offered to share his Uber ride.[7] Once they arrived in Reynolds' suite, Lehrmann said he "turned left towards his desk, while Ms Higgins turned right and went to a different part of the office".[7] After working "on a briefing for Parliament's question time," Lehrmann said he left the office without seeing Higgins again.[7][8] Higgins was later found completely naked,[3] inebriated and disoriented in the early hours of the morning in the minister's office.[1]

Three days later, on 26 March 2019, Lehrmann was told by Fiona Brown, Reynolds' chief of staff, to "collect his belongings from the office and leave" because of his late-night entry into the office at 1:48 am on the previous Saturday, and an earlier unrelated incident of him mishandling a classified document,[3][9] with Reynolds consequently terminating Lehrmann's employment formally on 5 April 2019.[10] On 1 April 2019, Reynolds called Higgins to her office to discuss Higgins' late-night entry into the office, which Reynolds "believed to be a security breach [...] describing the decision of two staff to come into the office at 1:40 am as 'highly unusual' and not appropriate".[11] Higgins went to the police after the alleged rape, but dropped the complaint in April 2019, fearful the report would result in termination of her employment.[12] Eventually Higgins transferred to work for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Minister Michaelia Cash for a year before resigning a month before going public with her allegations.[2]

 
Senator for Western Australia Linda Reynolds, who was criticised for her handling of the alleged rape within her office

Higgins has accused Reynolds of not supporting her due to the politically sensitive nature of the incident in an election year,[4] and claims to have "repeatedly told her superiors in [...] the offices of Cash and [...] Linda Reynolds" about the alleged rape; "Reynolds and Reynolds' chief of staff, Fiona Brown, soon after the alleged rape,[13] including in a meeting on 1 April 2019".[14][15] However, "Brown disputes Higgins' timeline",[14] and during the trial Reynolds told the court "that she did not know of a sexual assault allegation when she called Brittany to her office", the office where the alleged rape occurred.[11][4]

Controversy also arose following Higgins's public announcement regarding Scott Morrison's awareness of the allegations. Morrison, the prime minister at the time, denied any knowledge of the assault until Monday 15 February 2021.[16][17] In late February 2021 it emerged that Scott Ryan knew about the security incident on 27 March 2019, and Tony Smith found out about it on 8 April 2019.[17][18] Ryan, who was Senate President at the time, and Smith, who was Speaker, were jointly responsible for security in Parliament House at the time and only became aware of Higgins and the alleged sexual assault on Friday 12 February 2021,[17][18] with Ryan saying he only knew the full details on that Friday.[19] Higgins also claims to have "told Cash [...] multiple times", and recorded a February 2021 conversation with Cash to collect "evidence that Cash had known about her alleged rape since 2019".[14] However, during the trial Michaelia Cash said she knew about a security incident in late 2019 when Higgins began working for her, but only became aware of the rape allegation on 5 February 2021.[14] Peter Dutton, Home Affairs Minister at the time, also knew about the allegation on 11 February 2021 but sought no further action, nor did he alert the prime minister.[19] The prime minister's office seemed to have known details on Friday 12 February 2021, when it first got questions from news.com.au, but for some reason staff did not tell the prime minister until Monday 15 February 2021,[19] at minimum two full weekend news cycles later. Higgins criticised Morrison's response and cast doubts over his claim of ignorance.[20]

Response to allegation

Reynolds publicly apologised to Higgins, as did Morrison.[21] Morrison also announced two investigations into the workplace culture at Parliament House.[21] Morrison issued a formal apology on 16 February 2021 and penned a letter to Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, agreeing to develop an independent review into the workplaces of federal parliamentarians and their staff, as well as ordering an internal review into workplace culture and complaints handled within the Liberal Party.[22]

Over the following weeks, three more women alleged they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by the same man, still not publicly named at the time, between 2016 and 2020.[23][24] One woman alleged on 20 February 2021 she was raped in 2020 by the man after the pair had dinner and drinks.[25][26] On 22 February 2021, a second woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by the man in 2016.[26] A third woman also accused the man of unwanted advances and stroking her thigh under the table at a Canberra bar in 2017.[23][26] After the story went public, and even though the accused was not named in publications,[27] the accused was stood aside from his job at a large corporation where he had worked from July 2020.[23] He checked himself into a Sydney hospital and the next day he was in a private rehabilitation clinic.[23]

On 4 March, it was reported that Reynolds had referred to Higgins as a "lying cow" after the initial media reports.[28] The Australian reported Senator Reynolds made the comment in the open part of her office and was heard by several staff members, including public servants on secondment from the Department of Defence.[29] Reynolds did not deny using the slur against Higgins, but said it was not about the rape allegation itself, but about reports of the level of support provided. Higgins threatened legal action against Reynolds.[30] Reynolds and Higgins later reached a settlement in a defamation claim under which Reynolds apologised and agreed to pay damages to Higgins, which Higgins intended to donate to a sexual assault support group in the Canberra area.[31]

Reynolds was pressured to reveal what she had known about the incident.[32] On 16 February, Morrison publicly rebuked Reynolds for not telling him of the incident at the time.[33] Reynolds was due to address the National Press Club on 24 February, but that morning she cancelled the address and was admitted to Canberra Hospital. It was announced that she had taken medical leave related to a pre-existing condition.[34][35] Reynolds continued to be on medical leave until 2 April on the advice of her cardiologist,[36][37] and was not questioned during that time in or outside Parliament on the circumstances or of her knowledge of the alleged rape.

Reynolds's sick leave was initially for two weeks, but on the weekend before she would have returned to work, she was advised by her cardiologist to extend her medical leave to 2 April 2021, a total of six weeks. Labor senator Kristina Keneally called for Reynolds to resign, saying "Is the Minister of defence, Linda Reynolds, trying to pretend she is (on one hand) well enough to continue as Defence Minister, but not well enough on the other to front up and answer to questions in parliament and the (Senate) estimates?" Keneally also called for an independent investigation into allegations against Porter.[38]

On 30 April, Higgins met with Morrison and said she had a "frank and honest" discussion with him. Higgins said the pair also talked about reforming the legislation under which staffers are hired, known as the Members of Parliament (Staff) or MoPS Act.[39]

On 22 May 2021, the ABC's Four Corners reported,[40]

Nikola Anderson, who has worked as a Parliament House security guard for 12 years, told Four Corners how she found Ms Higgins in the office of then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds after the alleged rape. Anderson was asked to do a welfare check on Higgins, and around 4:20 am found Higgins naked on a lounge. Noting Higgins was conscious and did not look to be in distress, the guard shut the door and went back to her duties.

Legal proceedings

The man accused of the rape, Bruce Lehrmann, appeared by telephone at the Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory on 5 November 2021 and pleaded not guilty. He was committed for trial in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.[41] In April 2022 the defence team for the accused applied to have his trial halted indefinitely as Morrison's apology to Higgins "imputed the accused with guilt of the offence or at least implicitly assumed the truthfulness of the complaint",[42] and could endanger Lehrmann's right to a fair trial.[43][44] The judge dismissed the application, saying that a jury member being aware of pre-trial publicity "is not of itself problematic".[42] Higgins made a complaint against the Australian Federal Police for unlawfully giving Lehrmann's defence team protected evidence, including counselling notes and video recordings.[45] The trial was further delayed in June 2022 following the judge warning that the line between allegation and a finding of guilt had been "obliterated" in an acceptance speech by Lisa Wilkinson at the Logie Awards of 2022 and in commentary following the speech.[46][47]

The trial of Lehrmann began on 4 October 2022.[48] It concluded on 19 October, and the jury retired to consider its verdict.[49][50] On 27 October, the trial was abandoned after it was discovered that a juror had conducted private research and taken their findings into the jury room.[51][52] Higgins subsequently criticised the criminal justice system on live television, saying it "has long failed to deliver outcomes to victims of sexual assault".[53] Lehrmann's lawyer said "We have brought [Higgins'] comments to the attention of the court and the Australian Federal Police ... as to whether the complainant’s statements might amount to a contempt of court or offences against the ACT Criminal Code".[53]

 
Australian Capital Territory’s Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold, who made the decision to drop the Higgins case

The matter was relisted for 20 February 2023,[51][52] although a senior barrister soon after said it remains to be seen if the case is retried, given the extent of comments by politicians and media personalities now making Lehrmann virtually untriable.[54] In December 2022 the case was dropped by Shane Drumgold, the Director of Public Prosecutions,[55][56][57] stating it was "no longer in the public interest to pursue a prosecution" after receiving evidence "that the ongoing trauma associated with this prosecution presents a significant and unacceptable risk to the life of the complainant".[58][59] On 3 December 2022 it emerged that police assessed the evidence as insufficient to prosecute,[60][61] and "expressed a number of concerns about the case".[60] The accused "consistently maintained his innocence and the case against him was not proven",[58] the accused, just like the complainant,[62] "was deprived of a fair trial",[63] with the Director of Public Prosecutions declaring that "this brings the prosecution to an end."[58][63] However, the manner in which the case transpired was criticised.[57][64][65][66]

On 4 December 2022, it was reported that both Higgins and Lehrmann are considering compensation claims.[67][68] Higgins reportedly, while in hospital receiving treatment and support since before the retrial was aborted because of concerns over the effects of another trial on Higgins' mental health,[59] intends to sue Reynolds, Cash and the Commonwealth for about A$3 million.[69][70][71] On 13 December, Higgins and the Commonwealth reached agreement and Higgins was awarded an undisclosed sum in compensation.[72]

The Guardian reported on 8 December that a letter sent in November by Drumgold to the ACT police chief asked for a public enquiry into the case to look at “both political and police conduct”. The letter also alleged that police investigators were 'clearly aligned with the successful defence of this matter".[73][74][75] The Australian Federal Police Association published a statement calling the allegations a "smear" and unproven while also calling for an investigation into the case.[74] The ACT government subsequently announced an independent inquiry into the case. The inquiry is expected to report its findings in the first half of 2023.[76]

In January 2023, Reynolds commenced defamation proceedings against Higgins' partner over two tweets that he made.[77]

1988 rape allegation against Christian Porter

 
Christian Porter, former Attorney-General of Australia and Member for Pearce
Further information: Jo Dyer § Christian Porter court case

On 26 February 2021, the ABC published details of a letter that had been sent to the Prime Minister and several other members of parliament, including then Senate Opposition Leader Penny Wong and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. It alleged that a 16-year-old girl had been raped in Sydney in 1988 by a man who was now a member of Cabinet. The letter was anonymous, and included a statement by the alleged victim,[78] who had opened a case with New South Wales Police in 2020, but closed it shortly before taking her own life in Adelaide in June 2020.[2]

On 2 March, NSW Police stated they would not reopen the case as they had insufficient evidence to do so.[79]

The identity of the minister was not disclosed, but on 3 March Christian Porter, then Attorney-General, House Leader and Industrial Relations Minister, held a press conference identifying himself as the minister.[80] Porter denied the allegation and said he would not stand down from his positions but would take leave to recover his mental health.[81]

While some legal experts have opposed calls for an inquiry,[82] others urged the Prime Minister to conduct an independent investigation into the allegation,[83] along with Wong, Hanson-Young and the deceased's lawyer. However, Morrison refused to do so, stating it was unnecessary if the police had closed their case.[84] Proponents of an inquiry compare the situation to that which led to an inquiry into the behaviour of former High Court of Australia judge Dyson Heydon in 2020. People who regard an inquiry as unnecessary compare the situation to when then-opposition leader Bill Shorten was accused in 2014 of raping a woman in 1986. No further inquiry was held after Victorian police investigated the allegation and concluded there was "no reasonable prospect of conviction".[85] Morrison continued to block calls for an inquiry, instead moving Porter to the role of Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science in March 2021.[86]

The woman wrote that she had always remembered the alleged event, but had gained "a better understanding" through therapy in September 2019 which had "resurface[d]" her "somatic memories";[87] while friends said that she told them about the incident before this therapy.[88] It later emerged that in 2013 she had spoken to a counsellor about the alleged rape.[89] A former boyfriend of the woman said that he had had "relevant discussions" with the woman in 1989 and with Porter in the 1990s, without specifying what was discussed.[90] On 9 March 2021, the Four Corners episode "Bursting the Canberra Bubble" provided more background on the woman, and the circumstances of the night in 1988 when the alleged rape occurred.[91] It was reported that the woman who made the allegation was prepared to provide a statement. NSW Police were notified and the woman met with detectives “on short notice” in Sydney on 27 February 2020. NSW investigators had applied on 10 March 2020 for travel to South Australia to interview the woman, but the application was vetoed by NSW Police Deputy Commissioner.[92] It was also revealed that the woman, who lived in South Australia, had asked NSW Police in early April 2020 to make a statement via Skype, but was dissuaded from doing so.[93] On 8 April 2021, it was reported that the woman’s boyfriend met with detectives twice in March and made a formal statement. Police are not proposing to reopen the investigation.[93]

In March 2021, MinterEllison CEO Annette Kimmitt used a series of emails to staff to criticise her firm's decision to represent Porter. MinterEllison's board was critical of Kimmitt's actions and she later stood down.[94]

On 15 March 2021, Porter launched a defamation claim against the ABC and reporter Louise Milligan, for publishing the allegation. His claim argued that although the original allegation did not name him, he was "readily identifiable" and that the article was intended to harm him.[95] The claim was withdrawn on 31 May 2021, with the ABC paying the costs of mediation and appending an editor's note to the original article stating that "The ABC did not contend that the serious accusations could be substantiated to the applicable legal standard". However, no damages were awarded.[96]

On 10 June 2021 film producer and festival director Jo Dyer, confidante of the alleged victim, was awarded A$550,000 in costs after she brought separate litigation to prevent one of Porter's defamation lawyers, Sue Chrysanthou, from representing him. Dyer alleged that Chrysanthou had conflicting interests in the case, as she had previously had access to confidential information about the victim and Porter involving Dyer relating to a separate incident.[97][98][99]

On 24 June 2021, the original dossier detailing the rape allegation against Porter was made publicly available by the Federal Court of Australia.[100][101]

On 20 October 2021, the Coalition government blocked a Labor bid to have Porter investigated by House privileges committee over whether he had breached parliamentary rules over his financial disclosures, despite Speaker Tony Smith having ruled that there was a prima facie case for further scrutiny.[102] The move from the government attracted significant criticism in the media.[103][104][105][106]

In January 2022, Porter and Chrysanthou were ordered to pay costs of A$430,200 for the case brought by Dyer, although Porter was appealing the decision.[86]

Further allegations

Australian Labor Party allegations

On 28 February 2021, Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson said a woman had sent her an email alleging she had been raped by a man who is now a Labor federal member of Parliament.[107] A date for the alleged rape was not given, but it was described as "historic". The matter has been referred to Australian Federal Police.[108]

In March 2021, details emerged of a Facebook group where women have shared stories of sexual harassment within the Labor Party, but without sharing the names of the alleged harassers. Deputy leader Richard Marles said he was "appalled".[109]

Party leader Anthony Albanese said he had read the allegations and found them "very disappointing". He encouraged the women to come forward, to make formal complaints and "name names", saying the party needed complaints against specific people before they could take action. Albanese added that the party had recently set up a new code of conduct and process to handle misconduct allegations.[110]

Lewd photos and videos

In March 2021, photos and videos were leaked from a group chat of male government staffers, where they had performed sex acts in Parliament House, including masturbating on the desk of female MP Nola Marino.[111] Peta Credlin alleged:[112]

when an MP cleaned out the former staffer's desk, and the computer, that MP uncovered evidence that for many months, that staffer had regularly met with other men during the middle of the day – while the MP was in Question Time – for orgies in political offices.

Alleged comments by Eric Abetz

On 24 March 2021, two days after resigning from the Liberal Party, Tasmanian House of Assembly speaker Sue Hickey used parliamentary privilege to claim Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said to her, "As for that Higgins girl, anybody so disgustingly drunk who would sleep with anybody could have slept with one of our spies and put the security of the nation at risk"; and in reference to the Christian Porter allegations, "the woman is dead and the law will protect [Porter]". Abetz categorically denied making the comments and accused Hickey of "trying to destroy the [Liberal] party".[113]

Behaviour of Andrew Laming

On 26 March 2021, Morrison demanded that federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming both personally and publicly apologise to two women for trolling them on Facebook, and stop using social media to post trolling comments. It was also alleged that Laming hid in bushes in a public park and took photos of one of the women. She reported the incidents to the police.[114] On 27 March, Laming stood aside from all parliamentary roles after another woman accused him of taking a mobile phone photo of her bottom while her underwear was visible in 2019.[115] Laming said he will take medical leave and use the time to complete counselling services he had previously committed to. Laming announced he would resign from politics at the 2022 federal election,[116] although he later reversed his decision and attempted to renominate for his seat.[117] However, the Liberal National Party of Queensland blocked his nomination, forcing him into retirement.[117]

Alleged behaviour of Frank Zumbo

In June 2021, Frank Zumbo, a staffer of Craig Kelly, was charged with sexual offences, including allegedly sexually touching and indecently assaulting three women in their 20s, and a teenage girl on multiple occasions over a period of about six years.[118] Kelly maintained in March 2021 that no-one had any complaints about Zumbo, despite former staffers saying they had raised specific complaints about Zumbo with Kelly in 2013.[119] Zumbo was bailed and pled not guilty to all charges.[120] Zumbo remained on Kelly's team, and faces 18 criminal charges.[121] A fifth alleged victim has come forward.[122]

Impact

2021

The allegations sparked discussions over a toxic workplace culture, systemic misogyny and victim blaming both in political establishments and wider society.[26][123]

The Morrison government was widely criticised for its handling of these scandals, with an Essential poll finding 65% of respondents (including 76% of Labor supporters, 51% of Coalition supporters and 88% of Greens supporters) saying the Government was more interested in protecting itself than women.[124]

As well as from Labor and the Greens, the government faced criticism from within its own party. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who had been made aware of the allegations against Porter in 2019, criticised him for taking too long to come forward.[125] Former Prime Minister John Howard, however, defended Morrison's decision not to open an independent inquiry into Porter's conduct.[126] Former deputy Liberal leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop also criticised the Morrison government and said that handling of sexual harassment was an issue for all parties in Parliament.[127]

2021 Australian of the Year and sexual assault survivor advocate Grace Tame also criticised Morrison's rhetoric during her National Press Club of Australia address on 3 March 2021, criticising his use of the "as a father" phrase, as well as saying "It shouldn't take having children to have a conscience."[128]

On 5 March 2021, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said she will lead a review of Parliament House's workplace culture.[129] Jenkins's final report was released on 30 November 2021. It contained 28 recommendations.[130][131]

On 23 March 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison held an extraordinary behind-closed-doors meeting with 400 Coalition staff at which he admitted his government's shortcomings in tackling sexism and bad behaviour, and acknowledged they had put up with "absolute rubbish". Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he was sorry if anyone had been let down or not felt supported, in a five-minute address during the meeting.[132]

Morrison was criticised for his handling of a press conference on 23 March 2021 addressing the issue of sexual assault within Parliament House, during which he told reporters that an individual at News Corp was under investigation for harassment. He said to News Corp journalists "Right now, you would be aware that in your own organisation that there is a person who has had a complaint made against them of harassment of a woman in a women's toilet."[133][134] After News Corp chairman Michael Miller rejected the claim and made a statement that no employee was under such investigation, Morrison issued an apology and acknowledged that the incident he described did not happen.[133][134]

Cabinet changes were announced on 29 March 2021, with Reynolds and Porter moved but remaining in Cabinet, and the number of women in Cabinet increased from six to seven. Morrison also announced a new cabinet taskforce on women’s equality, safety, economic security, health and wellbeing, to be co-chaired by Morrison and the Minister for Women, Marise Payne, and will include all women from the ministry as well as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Finance Minister Simon Birmingham.[135]

The government announced in late March 2021 that it would convene a national summit to set new goals to prevent violence against women, at a date to be determined.[136]

Adelaide radio announcer Jeremy Cordeaux was sacked by FIVEaa in March 2021 following on-air comments about Higgins, in which he described her as "a silly little girl who got drunk".[137]

2022

On 9 February 2022, Higgins and Grace Tame addressed the National Press Club of Australia,[138] which garnered a huge amount of coverage in the press and on social media. Both women advocated strongly for structural change, saying the time for talking had passed. Higgins said that the national plan to reduce violence against women was too vaguely worded, and needed "clearer action and firm targets".[139][140][141][142]

The ACT Government is set to conduct an inquiry into the matter after a letter between the Territory's Prosecutor and Chief of Police stated that they were being targeted by a campaign to not prosecute the Lehrmann case.[143]

2023

In 2023, Bruce Lehrmann has filed defamation proceedings against Network 10 and News Corp in regards to their coverage of the rape allegations made against him by Brittany Higgins, The case is set to be heard in the federal court.[144]

The new case follows the dismissal of the rape allegations against Lehrmann as the criminal suit fell apart after the trial was abandoned after accusations of juror misconduct.[145]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Timeline of Higgins incident and response". Victor Harbor Times. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Stayner, Tom (2 March 2021). "How Australian politics has been shaken to the core in the wake of Brittany Higgins's rape allegation". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Byrne, Elizabeth; Radford, Antoinette; Frost, Harry (14 October 2022). "Parliamentary security found Brittany Higgins naked 'in foetal position' after alleged rape, court hears". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Maiden, Samantha (15 February 2021). "Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins says she was raped at Parliament House". News.com.au. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  5. ^ Khalil, Shaimaa; Atkinson, Simon (5 October 2022). "Brittany Higgins felt 'trapped' during alleged rape in Australian parliament - court". BBC News. Canberra: British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 October 2022. Ms Higgins said she and Mr Lehrmann had agreed to share a ride home after a night out with colleagues but stopped at Parliament House. Ms Higgins said she was 'the most drunk I have been in my life' and had passed out on a couch. She told police she woke to find Mr Lehrmann having sex with her. Crying, she told him 'stop' and 'no'.
  6. ^ Baird, Julia (19 February 2021). "What the PM should tell colleagues about the Brittany Higgins case: 'It sickens me. If it doesn't sicken you, your time is up'". The Sydney Morning Herald. from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Byrne, Elizabeth; Radford, Antoinette; Frost, Harry (14 October 2022). "Bruce Lehrmann told police he wanted to die after learning he was accused of raping Brittany Higgins". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  8. ^ Gould, Courtney (14 October 2022). "Bruce Lehrmann's 45 minutes inside of Parliament House". The West Australian. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  9. ^ Byrne, Elizabeth (15 October 2022). "Second week of Bruce Lehrmann rape trial sees his police interview and parliamentary witnesses testify in ACT Supreme Court". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 October 2022. It was the jury's first chance to hear his account. He restated several times that he had not had sexual intercourse with Ms Higgins. [...] He told police he'd lost his job after that night, because his entry to Parliament House had triggered a security investigation. Mr Lehrmann told police that, in the following week, he was asked to go into an office by his then chief of staff Fiona Brown, and not to bring his phone or a notebook. He said he was told it would be best if he left his position, since it was the second security investigation involving him, after an earlier unrelated incident.
  10. ^ Maiden, Samantha (15 October 2022). "'Ashamed': Bruce Lehrmann's apology letter to minister revealed". Retrieved 29 October 2022. It has been brought to my attention that you recently entered Parliament House and my ministerial suite outside of business hours for non-work purposes and were dishonest about the reasons for entering my office. I am advised that when you sought entry to parliament house after hours, you did so by reporting to security that you were required to attend my office for important official business. You have subsequently advised my Chief of Staff, Ms Fiona Brown, that this was not the case and that you entered for non-work related reasons.
  11. ^ a b Foster, Ally (17 October 2022). "Brittany Higgins: Michaelia Cash grilled in Bruce Lehrmann rape trial". news.com.au. Retrieved 25 October 2022. Bruce Lehrmann is accused of sexually assaulting the former Liberal staffer in the former defence minister's office in the early hours of March 23, 2019. [...] Former defence minister Linda Reynolds has told the ACT Supreme Court that she did not know of a sexual assault allegation when she called Brittany Higgins to her office on April 1, 2019, to discuss a late night security incident. [...] Senator Cash was questioned by the prosecution over Ms Higgins' claims that she had revealed her sexual assault allegations to the senator prior to February 5th, 2021. [...] She [Senator Cash] told the court she did not know there was a 'sexual element' to the situation until February 2021.
  12. ^ Albeck-Ripka, Livia (24 February 2021). "She Made a 'Soul-Destroying' Rape Claim. Then 3 Others Came Forward". The New York Times. from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  13. ^ Shorten, Kristin; Varga, Remy (6 October 2022). "Higgins grilled over Lisa Wilkinson recording". The Oz. The Australian. Retrieved 29 October 2022. Ms Higgins said in a second meeting with Fiona Brown, then chief-of-staff to Senator Reynolds, she felt the alleged rape was being viewed as a potential political problem for the party ahead of an election. 'Initially I felt she was very supportive but then it was very different,' Ms Higgins said about the meeting, which she believed was on March 29.
  14. ^ a b c d Knaus, Christopher (23 October 2022). "Who knew what and when? Trial hears new details of timeline after Brittany Higgins' alleged rape". The Guardian. Higgins says she told Reynolds and Reynolds' chief of staff, Fiona Brown, soon after the alleged rape [...] Brown disputes Higgins' timeline while Reynolds flatly denied learning of the alleged rape during the meeting [...] Higgins also says she told Cash of the alleged rape multiple times. The prosecution alleges Cash's office first learned of the alleged rape following an inquiry from a Canberra Times journalist in October 2019. [...] Cash agreed she had spoken with Higgins but knew nothing about an alleged rape. '[The] first time she mentioned a sexual element was, I think, in the conversation on the 5th of February 2021,' she said.
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  16. ^ "Australian Minister denies rape claim, will stay in cabinet". Bloomberg. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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  24. ^ Thompson, Angus (2 December 2022). "Media alleged that Bruce Lehrmann assaulted other women: court". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
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March 24, 2023
2021, australian, parliament, house, sexual, misconduct, allegations, february, march, 2021, number, allegations, involving, rape, other, sexual, misconduct, against, women, involving, australian, parliament, federal, politicians, were, raised, causing, contro. In February and March 2021 a number of allegations involving rape and other sexual misconduct against women involving the Australian Parliament and federal politicians were raised causing controversy especially for the federal Liberal National Morrison government Australian Parliament House Canberra where a rape is alleged to have occurred in 2019 Contents 1 2019 rape allegation by Brittany Higgins 1 1 Background and allegation 1 2 Response to allegation 1 3 Legal proceedings 2 1988 rape allegation against Christian Porter 3 Further allegations 3 1 Australian Labor Party allegations 3 2 Lewd photos and videos 3 3 Alleged comments by Eric Abetz 3 4 Behaviour of Andrew Laming 3 5 Alleged behaviour of Frank Zumbo 4 Impact 4 1 2021 4 2 2022 4 3 2023 5 See also 6 References2019 rape allegation by Brittany Higgins EditBackground and allegation Edit On 15 February 2021 Liberal Party junior staffer Brittany Higgins alleged to two media outlets news com au and The Project 1 that she was raped in the early hours of 23 March 2019 in then Defence Industry Minister Senator Linda Reynolds office in the ministerial wing of Parliament House by a colleague later named as Bruce Lehrmann after security guards admitted the pair into the building 2 3 Higgins said she became heavily intoxicated at a work party and left with her colleague in a taxi believing they would both be dropped at their respective homes instead she said she was taken to Parliament House and raped while slipping in and out of consciousness 4 5 waking to find her skirt around her waist 6 In contrast Lehrmann told police that he and Higgins returned to Parliament House because he needed to pick up his keys and as Higgins indicated she also needed to return to the office he offered to share his Uber ride 7 Once they arrived in Reynolds suite Lehrmann said he turned left towards his desk while Ms Higgins turned right and went to a different part of the office 7 After working on a briefing for Parliament s question time Lehrmann said he left the office without seeing Higgins again 7 8 Higgins was later found completely naked 3 inebriated and disoriented in the early hours of the morning in the minister s office 1 Three days later on 26 March 2019 Lehrmann was told by Fiona Brown Reynolds chief of staff to collect his belongings from the office and leave because of his late night entry into the office at 1 48 am on the previous Saturday and an earlier unrelated incident of him mishandling a classified document 3 9 with Reynolds consequently terminating Lehrmann s employment formally on 5 April 2019 10 On 1 April 2019 Reynolds called Higgins to her office to discuss Higgins late night entry into the office which Reynolds believed to be a security breach describing the decision of two staff to come into the office at 1 40 am as highly unusual and not appropriate 11 Higgins went to the police after the alleged rape but dropped the complaint in April 2019 fearful the report would result in termination of her employment 12 Eventually Higgins transferred to work for Employment Skills Small and Family Business Minister Michaelia Cash for a year before resigning a month before going public with her allegations 2 Senator for Western Australia Linda Reynolds who was criticised for her handling of the alleged rape within her office Higgins has accused Reynolds of not supporting her due to the politically sensitive nature of the incident in an election year 4 and claims to have repeatedly told her superiors in the offices of Cash and Linda Reynolds about the alleged rape Reynolds and Reynolds chief of staff Fiona Brown soon after the alleged rape 13 including in a meeting on 1 April 2019 14 15 However Brown disputes Higgins timeline 14 and during the trial Reynolds told the court that she did not know of a sexual assault allegation when she called Brittany to her office the office where the alleged rape occurred 11 4 Controversy also arose following Higgins s public announcement regarding Scott Morrison s awareness of the allegations Morrison the prime minister at the time denied any knowledge of the assault until Monday 15 February 2021 16 17 In late February 2021 it emerged that Scott Ryan knew about the security incident on 27 March 2019 and Tony Smith found out about it on 8 April 2019 17 18 Ryan who was Senate President at the time and Smith who was Speaker were jointly responsible for security in Parliament House at the time and only became aware of Higgins and the alleged sexual assault on Friday 12 February 2021 17 18 with Ryan saying he only knew the full details on that Friday 19 Higgins also claims to have told Cash multiple times and recorded a February 2021 conversation with Cash to collect evidence that Cash had known about her alleged rape since 2019 14 However during the trial Michaelia Cash said she knew about a security incident in late 2019 when Higgins began working for her but only became aware of the rape allegation on 5 February 2021 14 Peter Dutton Home Affairs Minister at the time also knew about the allegation on 11 February 2021 but sought no further action nor did he alert the prime minister 19 The prime minister s office seemed to have known details on Friday 12 February 2021 when it first got questions from news com au but for some reason staff did not tell the prime minister until Monday 15 February 2021 19 at minimum two full weekend news cycles later Higgins criticised Morrison s response and cast doubts over his claim of ignorance 20 Response to allegation Edit Reynolds publicly apologised to Higgins as did Morrison 21 Morrison also announced two investigations into the workplace culture at Parliament House 21 Morrison issued a formal apology on 16 February 2021 and penned a letter to Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese agreeing to develop an independent review into the workplaces of federal parliamentarians and their staff as well as ordering an internal review into workplace culture and complaints handled within the Liberal Party 22 Over the following weeks three more women alleged they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by the same man still not publicly named at the time between 2016 and 2020 23 24 One woman alleged on 20 February 2021 she was raped in 2020 by the man after the pair had dinner and drinks 25 26 On 22 February 2021 a second woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by the man in 2016 26 A third woman also accused the man of unwanted advances and stroking her thigh under the table at a Canberra bar in 2017 23 26 After the story went public and even though the accused was not named in publications 27 the accused was stood aside from his job at a large corporation where he had worked from July 2020 23 He checked himself into a Sydney hospital and the next day he was in a private rehabilitation clinic 23 On 4 March it was reported that Reynolds had referred to Higgins as a lying cow after the initial media reports 28 The Australian reported Senator Reynolds made the comment in the open part of her office and was heard by several staff members including public servants on secondment from the Department of Defence 29 Reynolds did not deny using the slur against Higgins but said it was not about the rape allegation itself but about reports of the level of support provided Higgins threatened legal action against Reynolds 30 Reynolds and Higgins later reached a settlement in a defamation claim under which Reynolds apologised and agreed to pay damages to Higgins which Higgins intended to donate to a sexual assault support group in the Canberra area 31 Reynolds was pressured to reveal what she had known about the incident 32 On 16 February Morrison publicly rebuked Reynolds for not telling him of the incident at the time 33 Reynolds was due to address the National Press Club on 24 February but that morning she cancelled the address and was admitted to Canberra Hospital It was announced that she had taken medical leave related to a pre existing condition 34 35 Reynolds continued to be on medical leave until 2 April on the advice of her cardiologist 36 37 and was not questioned during that time in or outside Parliament on the circumstances or of her knowledge of the alleged rape Reynolds s sick leave was initially for two weeks but on the weekend before she would have returned to work she was advised by her cardiologist to extend her medical leave to 2 April 2021 a total of six weeks Labor senator Kristina Keneally called for Reynolds to resign saying Is the Minister of defence Linda Reynolds trying to pretend she is on one hand well enough to continue as Defence Minister but not well enough on the other to front up and answer to questions in parliament and the Senate estimates Keneally also called for an independent investigation into allegations against Porter 38 On 30 April Higgins met with Morrison and said she had a frank and honest discussion with him Higgins said the pair also talked about reforming the legislation under which staffers are hired known as the Members of Parliament Staff or MoPS Act 39 On 22 May 2021 the ABC s Four Corners reported 40 Nikola Anderson who has worked as a Parliament House security guard for 12 years told Four Corners how she found Ms Higgins in the office of then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds after the alleged rape Anderson was asked to do a welfare check on Higgins and around 4 20 am found Higgins naked on a lounge Noting Higgins was conscious and did not look to be in distress the guard shut the door and went back to her duties Legal proceedings Edit The man accused of the rape Bruce Lehrmann appeared by telephone at the Magistrates Court of the Australian Capital Territory on 5 November 2021 and pleaded not guilty He was committed for trial in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory 41 In April 2022 the defence team for the accused applied to have his trial halted indefinitely as Morrison s apology to Higgins imputed the accused with guilt of the offence or at least implicitly assumed the truthfulness of the complaint 42 and could endanger Lehrmann s right to a fair trial 43 44 The judge dismissed the application saying that a jury member being aware of pre trial publicity is not of itself problematic 42 Higgins made a complaint against the Australian Federal Police for unlawfully giving Lehrmann s defence team protected evidence including counselling notes and video recordings 45 The trial was further delayed in June 2022 following the judge warning that the line between allegation and a finding of guilt had been obliterated in an acceptance speech by Lisa Wilkinson at the Logie Awards of 2022 and in commentary following the speech 46 47 The trial of Lehrmann began on 4 October 2022 48 It concluded on 19 October and the jury retired to consider its verdict 49 50 On 27 October the trial was abandoned after it was discovered that a juror had conducted private research and taken their findings into the jury room 51 52 Higgins subsequently criticised the criminal justice system on live television saying it has long failed to deliver outcomes to victims of sexual assault 53 Lehrmann s lawyer said We have brought Higgins comments to the attention of the court and the Australian Federal Police as to whether the complainant s statements might amount to a contempt of court or offences against the ACT Criminal Code 53 Australian Capital Territory s Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold who made the decision to drop the Higgins case The matter was relisted for 20 February 2023 51 52 although a senior barrister soon after said it remains to be seen if the case is retried given the extent of comments by politicians and media personalities now making Lehrmann virtually untriable 54 In December 2022 the case was dropped by Shane Drumgold the Director of Public Prosecutions 55 56 57 stating it was no longer in the public interest to pursue a prosecution after receiving evidence that the ongoing trauma associated with this prosecution presents a significant and unacceptable risk to the life of the complainant 58 59 On 3 December 2022 it emerged that police assessed the evidence as insufficient to prosecute 60 61 and expressed a number of concerns about the case 60 The accused consistently maintained his innocence and the case against him was not proven 58 the accused just like the complainant 62 was deprived of a fair trial 63 with the Director of Public Prosecutions declaring that this brings the prosecution to an end 58 63 However the manner in which the case transpired was criticised 57 64 65 66 On 4 December 2022 it was reported that both Higgins and Lehrmann are considering compensation claims 67 68 Higgins reportedly while in hospital receiving treatment and support since before the retrial was aborted because of concerns over the effects of another trial on Higgins mental health 59 intends to sue Reynolds Cash and the Commonwealth for about A 3 million 69 70 71 On 13 December Higgins and the Commonwealth reached agreement and Higgins was awarded an undisclosed sum in compensation 72 The Guardian reported on 8 December that a letter sent in November by Drumgold to the ACT police chief asked for a public enquiry into the case to look at both political and police conduct The letter also alleged that police investigators were clearly aligned with the successful defence of this matter 73 74 75 The Australian Federal Police Association published a statement calling the allegations a smear and unproven while also calling for an investigation into the case 74 The ACT government subsequently announced an independent inquiry into the case The inquiry is expected to report its findings in the first half of 2023 76 In January 2023 Reynolds commenced defamation proceedings against Higgins partner over two tweets that he made 77 1988 rape allegation against Christian Porter Edit Christian Porter former Attorney General of Australia and Member for Pearce Further information Jo Dyer Christian Porter court case On 26 February 2021 the ABC published details of a letter that had been sent to the Prime Minister and several other members of parliament including then Senate Opposition Leader Penny Wong and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young It alleged that a 16 year old girl had been raped in Sydney in 1988 by a man who was now a member of Cabinet The letter was anonymous and included a statement by the alleged victim 78 who had opened a case with New South Wales Police in 2020 but closed it shortly before taking her own life in Adelaide in June 2020 2 On 2 March NSW Police stated they would not reopen the case as they had insufficient evidence to do so 79 The identity of the minister was not disclosed but on 3 March Christian Porter then Attorney General House Leader and Industrial Relations Minister held a press conference identifying himself as the minister 80 Porter denied the allegation and said he would not stand down from his positions but would take leave to recover his mental health 81 While some legal experts have opposed calls for an inquiry 82 others urged the Prime Minister to conduct an independent investigation into the allegation 83 along with Wong Hanson Young and the deceased s lawyer However Morrison refused to do so stating it was unnecessary if the police had closed their case 84 Proponents of an inquiry compare the situation to that which led to an inquiry into the behaviour of former High Court of Australia judge Dyson Heydon in 2020 People who regard an inquiry as unnecessary compare the situation to when then opposition leader Bill Shorten was accused in 2014 of raping a woman in 1986 No further inquiry was held after Victorian police investigated the allegation and concluded there was no reasonable prospect of conviction 85 Morrison continued to block calls for an inquiry instead moving Porter to the role of Minister for Industry Innovation and Science in March 2021 86 The woman wrote that she had always remembered the alleged event but had gained a better understanding through therapy in September 2019 which had resurface d her somatic memories 87 while friends said that she told them about the incident before this therapy 88 It later emerged that in 2013 she had spoken to a counsellor about the alleged rape 89 A former boyfriend of the woman said that he had had relevant discussions with the woman in 1989 and with Porter in the 1990s without specifying what was discussed 90 On 9 March 2021 the Four Corners episode Bursting the Canberra Bubble provided more background on the woman and the circumstances of the night in 1988 when the alleged rape occurred 91 It was reported that the woman who made the allegation was prepared to provide a statement NSW Police were notified and the woman met with detectives on short notice in Sydney on 27 February 2020 NSW investigators had applied on 10 March 2020 for travel to South Australia to interview the woman but the application was vetoed by NSW Police Deputy Commissioner 92 It was also revealed that the woman who lived in South Australia had asked NSW Police in early April 2020 to make a statement via Skype but was dissuaded from doing so 93 On 8 April 2021 it was reported that the woman s boyfriend met with detectives twice in March and made a formal statement Police are not proposing to reopen the investigation 93 In March 2021 MinterEllison CEO Annette Kimmitt used a series of emails to staff to criticise her firm s decision to represent Porter MinterEllison s board was critical of Kimmitt s actions and she later stood down 94 On 15 March 2021 Porter launched a defamation claim against the ABC and reporter Louise Milligan for publishing the allegation His claim argued that although the original allegation did not name him he was readily identifiable and that the article was intended to harm him 95 The claim was withdrawn on 31 May 2021 with the ABC paying the costs of mediation and appending an editor s note to the original article stating that The ABC did not contend that the serious accusations could be substantiated to the applicable legal standard However no damages were awarded 96 On 10 June 2021 film producer and festival director Jo Dyer confidante of the alleged victim was awarded A 550 000 in costs after she brought separate litigation to prevent one of Porter s defamation lawyers Sue Chrysanthou from representing him Dyer alleged that Chrysanthou had conflicting interests in the case as she had previously had access to confidential information about the victim and Porter involving Dyer relating to a separate incident 97 98 99 On 24 June 2021 the original dossier detailing the rape allegation against Porter was made publicly available by the Federal Court of Australia 100 101 On 20 October 2021 the Coalition government blocked a Labor bid to have Porter investigated by House privileges committee over whether he had breached parliamentary rules over his financial disclosures despite Speaker Tony Smith having ruled that there was a prima facie case for further scrutiny 102 The move from the government attracted significant criticism in the media 103 104 105 106 In January 2022 Porter and Chrysanthou were ordered to pay costs of A 430 200 for the case brought by Dyer although Porter was appealing the decision 86 Further allegations EditAustralian Labor Party allegations Edit On 28 February 2021 Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson said a woman had sent her an email alleging she had been raped by a man who is now a Labor federal member of Parliament 107 A date for the alleged rape was not given but it was described as historic The matter has been referred to Australian Federal Police 108 In March 2021 details emerged of a Facebook group where women have shared stories of sexual harassment within the Labor Party but without sharing the names of the alleged harassers Deputy leader Richard Marles said he was appalled 109 Party leader Anthony Albanese said he had read the allegations and found them very disappointing He encouraged the women to come forward to make formal complaints and name names saying the party needed complaints against specific people before they could take action Albanese added that the party had recently set up a new code of conduct and process to handle misconduct allegations 110 Lewd photos and videos Edit In March 2021 photos and videos were leaked from a group chat of male government staffers where they had performed sex acts in Parliament House including masturbating on the desk of female MP Nola Marino 111 Peta Credlin alleged 112 when an MP cleaned out the former staffer s desk and the computer that MP uncovered evidence that for many months that staffer had regularly met with other men during the middle of the day while the MP was in Question Time for orgies in political offices Alleged comments by Eric Abetz Edit On 24 March 2021 two days after resigning from the Liberal Party Tasmanian House of Assembly speaker Sue Hickey used parliamentary privilege to claim Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said to her As for that Higgins girl anybody so disgustingly drunk who would sleep with anybody could have slept with one of our spies and put the security of the nation at risk and in reference to the Christian Porter allegations the woman is dead and the law will protect Porter Abetz categorically denied making the comments and accused Hickey of trying to destroy the Liberal party 113 Behaviour of Andrew Laming Edit On 26 March 2021 Morrison demanded that federal Liberal MP Andrew Laming both personally and publicly apologise to two women for trolling them on Facebook and stop using social media to post trolling comments It was also alleged that Laming hid in bushes in a public park and took photos of one of the women She reported the incidents to the police 114 On 27 March Laming stood aside from all parliamentary roles after another woman accused him of taking a mobile phone photo of her bottom while her underwear was visible in 2019 115 Laming said he will take medical leave and use the time to complete counselling services he had previously committed to Laming announced he would resign from politics at the 2022 federal election 116 although he later reversed his decision and attempted to renominate for his seat 117 However the Liberal National Party of Queensland blocked his nomination forcing him into retirement 117 Alleged behaviour of Frank Zumbo Edit In June 2021 Frank Zumbo a staffer of Craig Kelly was charged with sexual offences including allegedly sexually touching and indecently assaulting three women in their 20s and a teenage girl on multiple occasions over a period of about six years 118 Kelly maintained in March 2021 that no one had any complaints about Zumbo despite former staffers saying they had raised specific complaints about Zumbo with Kelly in 2013 119 Zumbo was bailed and pled not guilty to all charges 120 Zumbo remained on Kelly s team and faces 18 criminal charges 121 A fifth alleged victim has come forward 122 Impact Edit2021 Edit The allegations sparked discussions over a toxic workplace culture systemic misogyny and victim blaming both in political establishments and wider society 26 123 The Morrison government was widely criticised for its handling of these scandals with an Essential poll finding 65 of respondents including 76 of Labor supporters 51 of Coalition supporters and 88 of Greens supporters saying the Government was more interested in protecting itself than women 124 As well as from Labor and the Greens the government faced criticism from within its own party Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who had been made aware of the allegations against Porter in 2019 criticised him for taking too long to come forward 125 Former Prime Minister John Howard however defended Morrison s decision not to open an independent inquiry into Porter s conduct 126 Former deputy Liberal leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop also criticised the Morrison government and said that handling of sexual harassment was an issue for all parties in Parliament 127 2021 Australian of the Year and sexual assault survivor advocate Grace Tame also criticised Morrison s rhetoric during her National Press Club of Australia address on 3 March 2021 criticising his use of the as a father phrase as well as saying It shouldn t take having children to have a conscience 128 On 5 March 2021 Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said she will lead a review of Parliament House s workplace culture 129 Jenkins s final report was released on 30 November 2021 It contained 28 recommendations 130 131 On 23 March 2021 Prime Minister Scott Morrison held an extraordinary behind closed doors meeting with 400 Coalition staff at which he admitted his government s shortcomings in tackling sexism and bad behaviour and acknowledged they had put up with absolute rubbish Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he was sorry if anyone had been let down or not felt supported in a five minute address during the meeting 132 Morrison was criticised for his handling of a press conference on 23 March 2021 addressing the issue of sexual assault within Parliament House during which he told reporters that an individual at News Corp was under investigation for harassment He said to News Corp journalists Right now you would be aware that in your own organisation that there is a person who has had a complaint made against them of harassment of a woman in a women s toilet 133 134 After News Corp chairman Michael Miller rejected the claim and made a statement that no employee was under such investigation Morrison issued an apology and acknowledged that the incident he described did not happen 133 134 Cabinet changes were announced on 29 March 2021 with Reynolds and Porter moved but remaining in Cabinet and the number of women in Cabinet increased from six to seven Morrison also announced a new cabinet taskforce on women s equality safety economic security health and wellbeing to be co chaired by Morrison and the Minister for Women Marise Payne and will include all women from the ministry as well as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Finance Minister Simon Birmingham 135 The government announced in late March 2021 that it would convene a national summit to set new goals to prevent violence against women at a date to be determined 136 Adelaide radio announcer Jeremy Cordeaux was sacked by FIVEaa in March 2021 following on air comments about Higgins in which he described her as a silly little girl who got drunk 137 2022 Edit On 9 February 2022 Higgins and Grace Tame addressed the National Press Club of Australia 138 which garnered a huge amount of coverage in the press and on social media Both women advocated strongly for structural change saying the time for talking had passed Higgins said that the national plan to reduce violence against women was too vaguely worded and needed clearer action and firm targets 139 140 141 142 The ACT Government is set to conduct an inquiry into the matter after a letter between the Territory s Prosecutor and Chief of Police stated that they were being targeted by a campaign to not prosecute the Lehrmann case 143 2023 Edit In 2023 Bruce Lehrmann has filed defamation proceedings against Network 10 and News Corp in regards to their coverage of the rape allegations made against him by Brittany Higgins The case is set to be heard in the federal court 144 The new case follows the dismissal of the rape allegations against Lehrmann as the criminal suit fell apart after the trial was abandoned after accusations of juror misconduct 145 See also Edit2021 March 4 Justice Me Too movement Weinstein effect List of political controversies in AustraliaReferences Edit a b Timeline of Higgins incident and response Victor Harbor Times 18 February 2021 Retrieved 1 March 2021 a b c Stayner Tom 2 March 2021 How Australian politics has been shaken to the core in the wake of Brittany Higgins s rape allegation SBS News Special Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 29 October 2022 a b c Byrne Elizabeth Radford Antoinette Frost Harry 14 October 2022 Parliamentary security found Brittany Higgins naked in foetal position after alleged rape court hears ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 17 October 2022 a b c Maiden Samantha 15 February 2021 Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins says she was raped at Parliament House News com au Retrieved 3 March 2021 Khalil Shaimaa Atkinson Simon 5 October 2022 Brittany Higgins felt trapped during alleged rape in Australian parliament court BBC News Canberra British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 29 October 2022 Ms Higgins said she and Mr Lehrmann had agreed to share a ride home after a night out with colleagues but stopped at Parliament House Ms Higgins said she was the most drunk I have been in my life and had passed out on a couch She told police she woke to find Mr Lehrmann having sex with her Crying she told him stop and no Baird Julia 19 February 2021 What the PM should tell colleagues about the Brittany Higgins case It sickens me If it doesn t sicken you your time is up The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on 21 October 2022 Retrieved 17 October 2022 a b c Byrne Elizabeth Radford Antoinette Frost Harry 14 October 2022 Bruce Lehrmann told police he wanted to die after learning he was accused of raping Brittany Higgins ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 28 October 2022 Gould Courtney 14 October 2022 Bruce Lehrmann s 45 minutes inside of Parliament House The West Australian Retrieved 30 October 2022 Byrne Elizabeth 15 October 2022 Second week of Bruce Lehrmann rape trial sees his police interview and parliamentary witnesses testify in ACT Supreme Court ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 27 October 2022 It was the jury s first chance to hear his account He restated several times that he had not had sexual intercourse with Ms Higgins He told police he d lost his job after that night because his entry to Parliament House had triggered a security investigation Mr Lehrmann told police that in the following week he was asked to go into an office by his then chief of staff Fiona Brown and not to bring his phone or a notebook He said he was told it would be best if he left his position since it was the second security investigation involving him after an earlier unrelated incident Maiden Samantha 15 October 2022 Ashamed Bruce Lehrmann s apology letter to minister revealed Retrieved 29 October 2022 It has been brought to my attention that you recently entered Parliament House and my ministerial suite outside of business hours for non work purposes and were dishonest about the reasons for entering my office I am advised that when you sought entry to parliament house after hours you did so by reporting to security that you were required to attend my office for important official business You have subsequently advised my Chief of Staff Ms Fiona Brown that this was not the case and that you entered for non work related reasons a b Foster Ally 17 October 2022 Brittany Higgins Michaelia Cash grilled in Bruce Lehrmann rape trial news com au Retrieved 25 October 2022 Bruce Lehrmann is accused of sexually assaulting the former Liberal staffer in the former defence minister s office in the early hours of March 23 2019 Former defence minister Linda Reynolds has told the ACT Supreme Court that she did not know of a sexual assault allegation when she called Brittany Higgins to her office on April 1 2019 to discuss a late night security incident Senator Cash was questioned by the prosecution over Ms Higgins claims that she had revealed her sexual assault allegations to the senator prior to February 5th 2021 She Senator Cash told the court she did not know there was a sexual element to the situation until February 2021 Albeck Ripka Livia 24 February 2021 She Made a Soul Destroying Rape Claim Then 3 Others Came Forward The New York Times Archived from the original on 27 February 2021 Retrieved 29 October 2022 Shorten Kristin Varga Remy 6 October 2022 Higgins grilled over Lisa Wilkinson recording The Oz The Australian Retrieved 29 October 2022 Ms Higgins said in a second meeting with Fiona Brown then chief of staff to Senator Reynolds she felt the alleged rape was being viewed as a potential political problem for the party ahead of an election Initially I felt she was very supportive but then it was very different Ms Higgins said about the meeting which she believed was on March 29 a b c d Knaus Christopher 23 October 2022 Who knew what and when Trial hears new details of timeline after Brittany Higgins alleged rape The Guardian Higgins says she told Reynolds and Reynolds chief of staff Fiona Brown soon after the alleged rape Brown disputes Higgins timeline while Reynolds flatly denied learning of the alleged rape during the meeting Higgins also says she told Cash of the alleged rape multiple times The prosecution alleges Cash s office first learned of the alleged rape following an inquiry from a Canberra Times journalist in October 2019 Cash agreed she had spoken with Higgins but knew nothing about an alleged rape The first time she mentioned a sexual element was I think in the conversation on the 5th of February 2021 she said Gould Courtney 28 October 2022 Strong forces at play after Higgins rape allegation against Bruce Lehrmann news com au Retrieved 29 October 2022 Ms Higgins repeatedly told the court she disclosed her allegation to her managers in the two Liberal ministerial offices she worked in between 2019 and 2021 She said both of those cabinet ministers Senators Cash and Reynolds were also aware Both ministers and chiefs of staff Fiona Brown and Daniel Try dispute Ms Higgins account Australian Minister denies rape claim will stay in cabinet Bloomberg 1 March 2021 Retrieved 1 March 2021 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link a b c Crowe David 16 February 2021 Dispute erupts over timing of PM office s knowledge of Parliament rape claim The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on 22 February 2021 Retrieved 1 March 2021 a b Crowe David 18 February 2021 Security expert checked CCTV after claim of Parliament cover up The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 27 October 2022 The department told Senator Ryan of the security breach in the building on March 27 and told Mr Smith on April 8 Only on April 18 did the department become aware there might be a sexual assault allegation As recently as Friday 5 February 2021 the presiding officers were advised by the AFP there was no active investigation into the events of 26 27 March 2019 the department said in a statement late on Wednesday On 12 February 2021 following receipt of a media inquiry the presiding officers contacted the AFP and were advised that Ms Higgins had since approached the police and indicated she wished to proceed with a complaint and it was an open investigation a b c Napier Raman Kishor 25 February 2021 Brittany Higgins so many nagging questions left unanswered and likely to remain so Crikey Retrieved 27 October 2022 Murphy Katherine 17 February 2021 Brittany Higgins accuses prime minister of using victim blaming rhetoric after alleged rape The Guardian Retrieved 3 March 2021 a b Australia PM apologises to adviser who alleges she was raped in parliament BBC 16 February 2021 Retrieved 3 March 2021 Pressure mounting on Defence Minister Linda Reynolds over Brittany Higgins rape allegations SBS 18 February 2021 Archived from the original on 28 February 2021 Retrieved 1 March 2021 a b c d Curtis Katina Bonyhady Nick Smith Alexandra 23 February 2021 Not a nice person Man accused of Parliament rape stood down from current job The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on 5 March 2022 Retrieved 25 October 2022 Thompson Angus 2 December 2022 Media alleged that Bruce Lehrmann assaulted other women court Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 2 December 2022 Visontay Elias 20 February 2021 Scott Morrison very upset after reports second Liberal staffer assaulted by man who allegedly raped Brittany Higgins The Guardian Retrieved 26 October 2022 The second woman claims they met up in 2020 for dinner and after the former staffer bought her several drinks the pair went to her home where she was allegedly raped a b c d Mao Frances 2 March 2021 How rape allegations have rocked Australian politics BBC News Sydney British Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 26 October 2022 Bannister Maeve 2 December 2022 Documents show other Lehrmann allegations The Examiner Retrieved 3 December 2022 Brittany Higgins considers suing Linda Reynolds over lying cow remark The Guardian 4 March 2021 Retrieved 4 March 2021 Linda Reynolds did not deny reports she called Brittany Higgins a lying cow SBS Your Language Retrieved 4 March 2021 Murphy Katharine Remeikis Amy 5 March 2021 Linda Reynolds signals she is prepared to apologise to Brittany Higgins for calling her a lying cow The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 4 March 2021 Galloway Anthony Clun Rachel 12 March 2021 Defence Minister unreservedly apologises after legal settlement with Brittany Higgins The Sydney Morning Herald Knaus Christopher Murphy Katharine 18 February 2021 Linda Reynolds refuses to say if payout was withheld from staffer alleged to have raped Brittany Higgins The Guardian Archived from the original on 24 February 2021 Retrieved 24 February 2021 Murphy Katharine 16 February 2021 Scott Morrison publicly rebukes defence minister for not reporting rape allegation to him The Guardian Archived from the original on 1 March 2021 Retrieved 24 February 2021 Worthington Brett 24 February 2021 Defence Minister Linda Reynolds admitted to hospital amid Brittany Higgins rape allegation scandal ABC News Archived from the original on 23 February 2021 Retrieved 24 February 2021 Henderson Anna 24 February 2021 Alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins to make formal statement as Linda Reynolds sent to hospital ABC News Archived from the original on 24 February 2021 Retrieved 24 February 2021 Linda Reynolds extends sick leave to early April sparking criticism from Labor SBS News Retrieved 26 October 2022 Hitch Georgia 5 March 2021 Defence Minister Linda Reynolds apologises to Brittany Higgins for calling her a lying cow ABC News Retrieved 6 March 2021 Cockburn Gerard 8 March 2021 Calls for Defence Minister Linda Reynolds to resign after sick leave and Brittany Higgins scandal News com au Retrieved 8 March 2021 Brittany Higgins meets Scott Morrison says he agreed system let her down over rape allegation www abc net au 30 April 2021 Retrieved 30 April 2021 Security guard who found Brittany Higgins on night of alleged rape speaks out ABC News 22 March 2021 Retrieved 25 October 2022 Man committed to stand trial for alleged rape of Brittany Higgins in 2019 The Guardian Australian Associated Press 5 November 2021 Retrieved 3 December 2021 a b Thompson Angus 26 October 2022 Scott Morrison s apology to Brittany Higgins risked fair trial lawyer The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on 28 October 2022 Retrieved 26 October 2022 Australia Parliament rape case abruptly ends in mistrial Deutsche Welle 27 October 2022 Retrieved 30 October 2022 Byrne Elizabeth 29 October 2022 How the immense interest in Brittany Higgins changed the way the media reported Bruce Lehrmann s rape trial ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 30 October 2022 Brittany Higgins complains AFP unlawfully disclosed evidence in sexual assault case to defence team ABC News 27 April 2022 Retrieved 29 April 2022 Gould Courtney 21 June 2022 Major decision in Brittany Higgins rape case handed down News com au NCA NewsWire Retrieved 21 June 2022 R v Lehrmann No 3 2022 ACTSC 145 21 June 2022 Supreme Court ACT Maley Jacqueline 4 October 2022 Judge gets straight to the point in trial of Bruce Lehrmann The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on 22 October 2022 Retrieved 5 October 2022 Thompson Angus 19 October 2022 Judge in Lehrmann trial warns jury not to be swayed by popular opinion The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 19 October 2022 Shorten Kristin Vaga Remi 26 October 2022 Lehrmann jury can t agree on rape verdict The Australian Retrieved 26 October 2022 a b Byrne Elizabeth Mannheim Markus 27 October 2022 Jury discharged in trial of Bruce Lehrmann who was accused of raping Brittany Higgins ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 27 October 2022 a b Thompson Angus 26 October 2022 Lehrmann s barrister refers Higgins public statement to court police The Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on 27 October 2022 Retrieved 27 October 2022 a b Thompson Angus 27 October 2022 Lehrmann s barrister refers Higgins public statement to court police The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 29 October 2022 Percy Tom Leading KC Tom Percy believes Bruce Lehrmann can never be retried 6PR Mornings Interview Interviewed by Liam Bartlett Perth 6PR Retrieved 28 October 2022 Maley Jacqueline 2 December 2022 The Lehrmann trial is over but it will never really be over The Age Retrieved 3 December 2022 A Current Affair Staff 2 December 2022 New bombshell in rape trial that shook the Liberal Government A Current Affair Nine Archived from the original on 3 December 2022 Retrieved 3 December 2022 a b Sarre Rick 2 December 2022 Two clear lessons from the abandoned Bruce Lehrmann trial New Daily Retrieved 3 December 2022 a b c Burnside Niki Byrne Elizabeth 1 December 2022 Rape charge dropped against Bruce Lehrmann who was accused of sexually assaulting Brittany Higgins ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 2 December 2022 a b Bannister Maeve 2 December 2022 Prosecution drops Bruce Lehrmann rape case AAP Microsoft Retrieved 2 December 2022 a b Morgan Michael 3 December 2022 Brittany Higgins case had insufficient evidence to prosecute Bruce Lehrmann police officer s diary says New York Daily Paper Archived from the original on 3 December 2022 Retrieved 3 December 2022 Knaus Christopher 3 December 2022 Greatly concerned prosecutor warns of potentially unlawful disclosures about Brittany Higgins Guardian Archived from the original on 3 December 2022 Retrieved 3 December 2022 Di Russo Caroline 3 December 2022 Caroline Di Russo Biased and dangerous Lehrmann show trial makes mockery of our justice system Sky News Australia Retrieved 3 December 2022 a b Wu David 2 December 2022 Legal expert Chris Merritt says justice system failed after lead prosecutor abandoned Bruce Lehrmann retrial claiming issues with Brittany Higgins health Sky News Australia Retrieved 2 December 2022 Kenny Chris 2 December 2022 Only winners in Brittany Higgins case are journalists who revelled in the drama Sky News Australia Archived from the original on 3 December 2022 Retrieved 3 December 2022 Boland Steve 5 December 2022 Don t judge the legal system for sorry saga of the Lehrmann trial WA Today Archived from the original on 5 December 2022 Retrieved 5 December 2022 Bolt Andrew 5 December 2022 It became such a political sin to doubt Higgins Bolt Sky News Australia Archived from the original on 5 December 2022 Retrieved 5 December 2022 Maiden Samantha 4 December 2022 Brittany Higgins million dollar compensation claim after collapse of rape trial news com au Archived from the original on 4 December 2022 Retrieved 4 December 2022 Robertson James 4 December 2022 Brittany Higgins looks to fresh legal action after trial dropped New Daily Archived from the original on 4 December 2022 Retrieved 4 December 2022 Hartcher Peter Massola James Clun Rachel Thompson Angus 4 December 2022 Brittany Higgins seeking 3 million in compensation claim Archived from the original on 4 December 2022 Retrieved 4 December 2022 Lawyers for former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins have given notice that they will sue former Liberal ministers Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash as well as the Commonwealth for about 3 million Bannister Maeve 5 December 2022 Brittany Higgins Former Liberal staffer sues Michaelia Cash and Linda Reynolds seeks compensation claim AAP The West Australian Archived from the original on 5 December 2022 Retrieved 5 December 2022 Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold said the sexual assault charges against Mr Lehrmann were being dropped because of the unacceptable impact a second trial would have on Ms Higgins mental health Coorey Phillip Moore Georgie 5 December 2022 Linda Reynolds wants to fight Higgins civil suit Financial Review Archived from the original on 5 December 2022 Retrieved 5 December 2022 Former defence minister Linda Reynolds wants to fight a civil claim lodged against her Massola Caroline Schelle James 13 December 2022 Higgins Commonwealth reach settlement in compensation case The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 13 December 2022 Knaus Christopher 8 December 2022 Prosecutor alleges police aligned with defence in Bruce Lehrmann case and claims inappropriate interference The Guardian Retrieved 9 December 2022 a b Schelle James Massola Caroline 8 December 2022 Police union calls for inquiry into Lehrmann case after prosecutor alleges interference The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 9 December 2022 Byrne Elizabeth 8 December 2022 Police union hits back at ACT s top prosecutor after he criticised officers actions during Bruce Lehrmann trial ABC News Retrieved 9 December 2022 Independent inquiry to be held into handling of Brittany Higgins allegations against Bruce Lehrmann the Guardian 20 December 2022 Retrieved 20 December 2022 Liberal senator sues Brittany Higgins s partner over defamatory tweets ABC News 27 January 2023 Retrieved 27 January 2023 Australian Associated Press 26 February 2021 Letter to PM reveals new rape allegation against cabinet minister Yahoo News Retrieved 1 March 2021 Murphy Katherine Remeikis Amy 2 March 2021 Cabinet minister to make statement addressing historical rape allegation against him The Guardian Retrieved 4 March 2021 Christian Porter reveals he is minister at the heart of historical rape allegation as it happened The Guardian 3 March 2021 Retrieved 3 March 2021 Crowe David 3 March 2021 No rule of law left Christian Porter won t stand down after rape claim The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 3 March 2021 Moses SC Arthur 3 March 2021 Without presumption of innocence we are on shifting sands Australian Financial Review Legal experts call for independent investigation of historical rape claim against minister The Guardian 28 February 2021 Retrieved 3 March 2021 Hurst Daniel Karp Paul 4 March 2021 Scott Morrison rejects calls for an independent inquiry into the rape allegation against Christian Porter The Guardian Retrieved 4 March 2021 Speers David 4 March 2021 Christian Porter is digging in leaving Scott Morrison in need of a circuit breaker ABC News Retrieved 4 March 2021 a b Hooton Amanda 28 January 2022 Why Jo Dyer the spokesperson of Christian Porter s accuser is standing as an independent The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 14 February 2022 Crowe David 5 March 2021 Woman drew on counselling before recounting alleged rape The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 6 March 2021 Maiden Samantha 6 March 2021 Key doubts over Porter accuser s story news com au Retrieved 6 March 2021 Sexual assault counsellor says Christian Porter s accuser told her of alleged rape eight years ago Archived 15 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine Four Corners Australian Broadcasting Corporation 8 March 2021 Maiden Samantha 12 March 2021 Ex boyfriend of Christian Porter s accuser reveals new details about alleged rape discussions news com au Retrieved 12 April 2021 Bursting the Canberra Bubble Four Corners Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC 9 March 2021 Retrieved 9 March 2021 McPhee Sarah 12 April 2021 NSW Police Deputy Commissioner denied travel request to get statement from Porter s accuser The Age a b Hunter Fergus 8 April 2021 Police take formal statement from former boyfriend of Porter rape accuser The Age Bucci Nino 10 March 2021 Boss of law firm MinterEllison reportedly steps down over Christian Porter furore The Guardian Retrieved 10 March 2021 Lowrey Tom Snape Jack 15 March 2021 Attorney General Christian Porter launches defamation action against ABC www abc net au Retrieved 16 March 2021 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link Christian Porter ends defamation action against the ABC ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 31 May 2021 Retrieved 31 May 2021 Mitchell Georgina McPhee Sarah Evans Michael 24 June 2021 Christian Porter rape allegation dossier revealed The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 4 December 2021 McGowan Michael 11 June 2021 Court orders Christian Porter and lawyer Sue Chrysanthou to pay substantial legal costs of Jo Dyer The Guardian Retrieved 4 December 2021 Debelle Penelope 6 August 2021 Writers Week chief to leave after 2022 festival InDaily Retrieved 3 December 2021 Christian Porter rape allegation documents revealed The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 24 June 2021 Retrieved 25 June 2021 Exhibit 1 Dossier Letter PDF 1 8 MB PDF Federal Court of Australia Retrieved 25 June 2021 Doran Matthew 20 October 2021 Government blocks bid to investigate Christian Porter over legal fee donation ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 24 October 2021 Bath Gemma 21 October 2021 A disgraceful shameful moment This week we witnessed exactly why we need a Federal ICAC MamaMia Retrieved 24 October 2021 Coalition s protection of Porter defies logic and belief The Canberra Times 22 October 2021 Retrieved 24 October 2021 Maley Jacqueline 23 October 2021 A blind trust Certainly the government is keeping voters blind as to Porter s secret donors The Age Fairfax Media Retrieved 24 October 2021 Lillywhite Serena 21 October 2021 The government s move to block investigation of Porter donations is a nail in the coffin of integrity in politics The Guardian Retrieved 24 October 2021 Henderson Sarah SenSHenderson 28 February 2021 My media statement Tweet Retrieved 12 April 2021 via Twitter Crowe David 28 February 2021 Labor MP accused of rape in new email The Sydney Morning Herald Female Labor staffers detail allegations of aggressive behaviour and sexual harassment ABC News 15 March 2021 Paul Karp 15 March 2021 Anthony Albanese says Labor women alleging sexual abuse should come forward and name names The Guardian Grand Chip Le 26 March 2021 How Parliament s sexual revolution lost its way The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 28 March 2021 Peta Credlin reveals details of orgies prostitutes during her time working at Parliament House The Australian 24 March 2021 Baker Emily staff 24 March 2021 Tasmanian Premier calls on PM to consider accusation Eric Abetz slut shamed Brittany Higgins Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 12 April 2021 Bourke Latika 26 March 2021 PM urged to act after Laming apologises for shocking trolling behaviour The Sydney Morning Herald Massola James Fegan Peter 27 March 2021 Liberal Andrew Laming steps aside from parliamentary roles after fresh allegations emerge The Age Gooley Cameron 29 March 2021 Liberal MP Andrew Laming to quit politics at next election Josh Frydenberg says ABC News Retrieved 12 April 2021 a b Martin Sarah 12 April 2021 Andrew Laming blocked from recontesting next election after backflip on pledge to quit politics Guardian Australia Retrieved 13 December 2022 Craig Kelly s staffer Frank Zumbo charged with sexual offences ABC News 5 June 2021 Retrieved 17 April 2022 MP Craig Kelly accused of ignoring allegations of misconduct by trusted advisor Frank Zumbo ABC News 24 March 2021 Massola Megan Gorrey James 5 June 2021 Craig Kelly aide Frank Zumbo bailed while he fights indecent assault charges The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 17 April 2022 Workman Alice 15 April 2022 Senior staffer accused of historical sex offences still on UAP leader Kelly s team The Australian Kelly staffer showed woman his penis cops The West Australian 14 June 2022 Brittany Higgins accuses prime minister of using victim blaming rhetoric after alleged rape The Guardian 17 February 2021 Archived from the original on 28 February 2021 Retrieved 1 March 2021 Hurst Daniel 2 March 2021 Two thirds of Australians think government more interested in protecting itself than women poll The Guardian Retrieved 3 March 2021 Former PM Malcolm Turnbull says Scott Morrison s response to historic rape allegation involving cabinet minister is not good enough News com au 2 March 2021 Retrieved 4 March 2021 Fordham Ben 4 March 2021 John Howard backs Prime Minister s handling of Christian Porter allegation 2GB Retrieved 4 March 2021 Karp Paul 8 March 2021 Julie Bishop takes aim at federal government ministers over handling of rape allegations The Guaridan Retrieved 10 March 2021 Stayner Tom 3 March 2021 Grace Tame tells Scott Morrison having children does not guarantee a conscience SBS Retrieved 3 March 2021 Canales Sarah Basford 5 March 2021 Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins to lead review into Parliament House workplace culture The Canberra Times Hitch Georgia 30 November 2021 Review finds 1 in 3 staff in federal parliament experience sexual harassment ABC News Retrieved 3 December 2021 Jenkins Kate November 2021 Set the Standard Report on the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces PDF Australian Human Rights Commission Retrieved 3 December 2021 Massola James 28 March 2021 Leaked audio PM admits Coalition failings on sexism in address to staff The Age a b Crowe David 23 March 2021 Scott Morrison apologises after News Corp denies harassment complaint claim The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 3 April 2022 a b Maiden Samantha 24 March 2021 Scott Morrison apologises for wrong toilet claim to News Corp journalist news com au Retrieved 3 April 2022 Crowe David 29 March 2021 Marise Payne the prime minister for women as Morrison adds women s taskforce in reshuffle The Age Retrieved 12 April 2021 Crowe David Curtis Katina 27 March 2021 Government to convene summit on violence against women The Age Retrieved 12 April 2021 Maiden Samantha 29 March 2021 Veteran Adelaide radio host Jeremy Cordeaux sacked over Brittany Higgins tirade News com au Retrieved 29 March 2021 Grace Tame amp Brittany Higgins National Press Club of Australia Retrieved 10 February 2022 Murphy Katharine 9 February 2022 Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins nine key moments from the sellout press club event The Guardian Retrieved 10 February 2022 Karvelas Patricia 9 February 2022 Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins are smashing rules and silence and putting Australia s political leaders on notice ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 10 February 2022 Arrow Michelle 9 February 2022 Making change making history making noise Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame at the National Press Club The Conversation Retrieved 10 February 2022 Australian of the Year Grace Tame s full National Press Club address Video YouTube Canberra ACT ABC News Australia 3 March 2021 Massola James 12 December 2022 ACT government prepares to launch inquiry into Lehrmann trial The Age Retrieved 12 December 2022 Whitbourn Michaela 7 February 2023 Bruce Lehrmann files defamation proceedings against Ten News Corp The Age Retrieved 7 February 2023 Bruce Lehrmann Australia parliament rape trial abandoned over juror misconduct BBC News 26 October 2022 Retrieved 7 February 2023 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations amp oldid 1138895341, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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