2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations
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.
2019 rape in Parliament house[edit]
Background 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 naked,[3][9] 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][10] with Reynolds consequently terminating Lehrmann's employment formally on 5 April 2019.[11] 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".[12] 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.[13] 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]
Further allegations[edit]
Australian 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.[111] A date for the alleged rape was not given, but it was described as "historic". The matter has been referred to Australian Federal Police.[112]
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".[113]
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.[114]
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.[115] Peta Credlin alleged:[116]
Impact[edit]
2021[edit]
The allegations sparked discussions over a toxic workplace culture, systemic misogyny and victim blaming both in political establishments and wider society.[27][132]
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.[133]
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.[134] Former Prime Minister John Howard, however, defended Morrison's decision not to open an independent inquiry into Porter's conduct.[135] 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.[136]
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."[137]
On 5 March 2021, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins said she will lead a review of Parliament House's workplace culture.[138] Jenkins's final report was released on 30 November 2021. It contained 28 recommendations.[139][140]
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.[141]
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."[142][143] 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.[142][143]
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.[144]
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.[145]
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".[146]
2022[edit]
On 9 February 2022, Higgins and Grace Tame addressed the National Press Club of Australia,[147] 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".[148][149][150][151]
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.[152]
2023[edit]
In 2023, Bruce Lehrmann filed defamation proceedings against the ABC, Network 10 and News Corp in regards to their coverage of the rape allegations made against him by Brittany Higgins, In May 2023, Lehrmann and News Corp settled out of court.[153] The other cases are set to be heard in the federal court.[154] 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.[155] An investigation into the trial has also begun and is being chaired by former Queensland Supreme Court judge, Walter Sofronoff. Already, the Director of Public Prosecutions in the ACT, Shane Drumgold, has been criticized for his handling over the case, including breaching the Evidence Miscellaneous Provisions Act.[156]
In June 2023, The Australian reported that Labor Senator for the ACT Katy Gallagher was aware of Higgins' rape allegations several days before they were publicly reported.[157] Members of the Liberal Party accused Gallagher of misleading parliament when she told the Senate, in June 2021, that "no one had any knowledge" of Higgins' allegations before they were aired publicly. Gallagher denied any wrongdoing, and rejected the implication that she was involved in making Higgins' allegations publicly known.[158]
On 14 June 2023, during a Senate speech by Liberal Senator for Victoria David Van about respect in parliament, independent Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe interjected to accuse Van of harassing and sexually assaulting her.[159] The following day, Thorpe alleged that she had been cornered and "inappropriately touched" by a man in a stairwell in Parliament House. On the same day, former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker claimed that Van squeezed her bottom twice in a parliamentary office in November 2020, although she had regarded the matter as resolved after Van apologised.[160] Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton moved to expel Van from the Liberal Party on the basis of these two allegations, plus one further allegation from a third woman regarding Van's behaviour, the details of which remain unknown.[161] Van denied the allegations against him, and resigned from the Liberal Party on 17 June to sit on the crossbench.[162]
In July, the ACT government released the Sofronoff report early, after it was given to the media. The report heavily criticised Drumgold, accusing him of making baseless allegations, lying to the ACT's chief justice, and losing objectivity and not acting with fairness and detachment.[163] Drumgold subsequently took legal action against the ACT government and the board of inquiry, saying he was denied natural justice, and calling for the findings of the inquiry to be struck out or found to be invalid. A Victorian judge, Stephen Kaye, was appointed to hear the case.[164]