Brittany Higgins to lodge formal police complaint over alleged rape
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins will meet with the Australian Federal Police on Wednesday.
NSW
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Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins will meet with Australian Federal Police this week to lodge a formal complaint about her alleged rape, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison backs an independent system to better support staff.
Ms Higgins confirmed last week she had “re-engaged” with the AFP and now has an appointment with police on Wednesday to make a formal statement about the events surrounding her alleged attack.
She has accused a senior colleague of allegedly raping her on a couch in the office of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019 following an evening drinking with staff.
Ms Higgins previously said she hoped a formal investigation would be completed in a timely manner after waiting a “long time for justice” following her alleged rape.
Meanwhile Mr Morrison continues to face questions about what his office knew and when.
His staff received a media request from a journalist on Friday February 12, but Mr Morrison claims he still not learn about the allegation until Ms Higgins’ story went public 48 hours later.
“I expressed my view to my staff very candidly on Monday,” he said.
Mr Morrison also revealed he is supportive of an idea being put forward by some Coalition and Labor MPs for a totally independent body to manage parliamentary staff.
“I think there is merit in that but that is for the processes we put in place to actually consider those things and to make recommendations,” he said, referring to the number of reviews announced following Ms Higgins’ allegations.
“I really don‘t want to prejudge any of this.
“What we need to do is ensure that people are able in these circumstances to feel they can raise these issues.”
Mr Morrison said even if people are being told they can raise complaints or concerns, they need to “feel they can” in a “discrete and private way” to get the support they need.
“That is what I want to see happen,” he said.
Both the culture of the parliament workplace and the structures in place to support staff will be investigated at a number of levels, including a bipartisan independent review.
Mr Morrison has also tasked his department to review what his office knew about Ms Higgins’ specific allegation and when.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has voiced his support for an independent system that will address the structural problems in how complaints or concerns are managed.
“If there’s a general observation about parliament, it is that the structures for independent assessment, for personal evolution, whether that’s around training or growth, are not necessarily there,” he said.
“So I think that there is a very important role for the independent inquiry, as well as the culture assessment, as well as the Parliamentary assessment to come together.”
Ms Higgins confirmed on Friday she had spoken to the AFP about commencing an investigation and hoped the man she claims raped her will face “the full force of the law”.
“The Australian Federal Police have made assurances to me that they will handle this matter thoroughly and transparently,” she said.
Ms Higgins has claimed people in the Coalition who were aware of her allegations in 2019 opted to protect the Liberal Party over supporting her.
“I believe that getting to the bottom of what happened to me and how the system failed me is critical to creating a new framework for political staff that ensures genuine cultural change and restores the trust of staff,” she said.
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