World media reacts to Brittany Higgins’ alleged Parliament House rape

Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape at Parliament House has made international headlines, with some outlets taking swipes at Scott Morrison’s response.

Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape at Parliament House has made international headlines, as further details emerge about the incident involving the former Liberal staffer.

News.com.au broke the story about the then-24-year-old’s alleged rape on Monday, and in the days since, an investigation into workplace culture at Parliament House has been established and multiple ministers – including Prime Minister Scott Morrison – have said they’re “shattered” by the scandal.

Ms Higgins alleged she was raped at Parliament House in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ ministerial office by a colleague in 2019, only months into her “dream job” of working at Parliament.

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Brittany Higgins alleges she was raped at Parliament House by a colleague.

Ms Higgins, pictured on her first day of work, claims she felt she had to choose between going to the police and keeping her job.

While some global news outlets – including CNN, the BBC, The Jakarta Post and Russia’s RT network – reported the story straight, others, including The New York Times and the UK’s The Times, took subtle swipes at the PM and his comments in the story’s aftermath.

During a press conference yesterday, Mr Morrison said a conversation with his wife prompted him to take stronger action after Ms Higgins spoke out about the sexual assault.

“Jenny and I spoke last night, and she said to me, ‘You have to think about this as a father first. What would you want to happen if it were our girls?’” Mr Morrison said.

“Jenny has a way of clarifying things. Always has. And so, as I’ve reflected on that overnight and listened to Brittany and what she had to say, there are a couple of things here we need to address.”

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The Jakarta Post. Picture: Supplied

Russia’s state-controlled international television network, RT, covered the story. Picture: Supplied

CNN. Picture: Supplied

The BBC. Picture: Supplied

The PM faced swift backlash for his comments, with many questioning why it took him looking at Ms Higgins as a daughter – instead of simply as a human being – for the situation to “really hit home”.

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The New York Times. Picture: Supplied

The Times took a subtle swipe at Mr Morrison’s change of attitude toward the severity of the situation. Picture: Supplied

The Times gave a nod to the controversy in its piece, titled: “Scott Morrison changes view on rape after talking to wife”.

Meanwhile, The New York Timesdeclared Parliament had been “roiled” by the allegations, with reporter Livia Albeck-Ripka writing that they have “sent shockwaves through (Australia’s) halls of power”.

“Women’s rights advocates called it an extreme example of what has long been described as a culture of misogyny that has pushed several women out of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Coalition government,” the piece reads.

“They said the case reflected an environment that was stubbornly resistant to change driven by the global #MeToo movement, one where men make sexist remarks about women’s appearance and bully female co-workers, or worse.”