Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins left to resign after being raped in parliament

A former Liberal staffer allegedly raped in Parliament House is preparing to ask the AFP to investigate.

Former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins.

A former Liberal Party staffer who was allegedly raped in Parliament House in Canberra is preparing to ask the Australian Federal Police to investigate the incident, plunging the Morrison government into damage control over claims that it had failed adequately to support her.

Brittany Higgins, who worked for several Coalition ministers including Steven Ciobo, Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash, alleged she was raped on March 23, 2019, by a former colleague in Senator Reynolds’ office after a night out drinking.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had spoken to his wife Jenny on Monday night who told him “you have to think like a father” about the claims.

Mr Morrison said he had asked Western Australian MP Celia Hammond, a former Notre Dame vice-chancellor, to work with MPs to improve protocols in parliament.

“There should not be an environment where a young woman can find herself in this situation,” he said. “We have to do more, whether it’s in this workplace or any other workplace in the country.”

Alleged rape detailed

Ms Higgins, who was 24 at the time and intoxicated, alleged she woke up while being raped and told her perpetrator, who was forced out of his job days after the alleged assault, to stop.

She was discovered the next day half-dressed by a female security guard.

Former Liberal party staffer Brittany Higgins

After Senator Reynolds was forced to defend her handling of the alleged rape in parliament on Monday, Ms Higgins told The Australian: “I plan on completing a formal complaint with the Department of Finance and recommencing the investigation with the AFP.”

She initially reported the incident to the AFP nearer the time but had previously decided not to pursue the case.

Ms Higgins resigned as a Liberal staffer last month and has moved away from Canberra, saying she had started to experience panic attacks when arriving and exiting Parliament House’s ministerial entrance.

“It was personally really triggering for me,” she said.

“Resigning was the only thing that I could personally do to say that I didn’t co-sign this behaviour. I don’t think that what they (the Liberal Party) did is right. And I don’t think they should do it to anyone else.”

Morrison issues apology to Ms Higgins

Scott Morrison says he “happily” apologises to Ms Higgins after she alleged she was invited to discuss the alleged rape in the same room she says it took place.

“I want to make sure any young woman working in this place is as safe as possible,” he said.

Mr Morrison said it is appropriate that the allegations should be investigated by police.

He said he was first alerted to the allegation by Ms Higgins “twenty four hours ago.”

Mr Morrison on Monday in parliament described Ms Higgins’ alleged assault as “deeply disturbing” and said the government had at all times sought guidance from her as to how she wished to proceed with any investigation.

“This important best-practice principle of empowering Ms Higgins is something that the government has always sought to follow in relation to this matter,” the Prime Minister told parliament.

“The government has aimed to provide Ms Higgins with her agency, to provide support to make decisions in her interest and to respect her privacy.

“This offer of support and assistance continues. It is important that Ms Higgins’ views are listened to and respected.”

Senator Reynolds told about alleged incident

According to a detailed document that was provided by Ms Higgins — which includes a timeline of events, as well as emails and text messages between herself and Liberal Party staffers about the alleged rape — she claims that Senator Reynolds and her acting chief of staff Fiona Brown “directly addressed” the alleged sexual assault with her once.

She also said that a meeting with her to discuss the alleged rape was held in the room where the incident occurred.

Brittany Higgins with Michaelia Cash, left

A government spokeswoman on Monday acknowledged this was an error.

“Given the seriousness of the incident, consideration should have been made to the location of the meeting with Ms Higgins — and, in hindsight, that oversight is regretted,” the spokeswoman said.

Senator Reynolds, who was defence industry minister at the time of the incident and is now Defence Minister, said she was not aware the alleged rape had occurred in her office, nor of the circumstances of what had occurred, when the meeting was held on April 1. “Had I known that I would have conducted the meeting elsewhere,” she said.

The Australian understands Senator Reynolds was not made aware of the alleged rape until the AFP contacted her on April 4, saying an investigation was afoot.

Ms Higgins said she was given the option to go home to the Gold Coast during the 2019 election campaign — but was told that this would affect her ability to reapply for a ¬future Liberal Party job — or she could stay in Western Australia with Perth-based Senator Reynolds for the campaign, which she did.

Speaking on The Project on Monday night, Ms Higgins — who took a photograph of a large bruise on her leg after the alleged rape — said security guards who had seen her after the alleged assault had not called for medical help. In the days after the incident, Ms Higgins said, she felt like “a political problem”.

“It felt like that immediately. It wasn’t a staffing problem, an HR problem, it wasn’t a human problem — but immediately it was like OK, we have an issue here.”

She said that after asking “at least half a dozen times” to view CCTV footage, a staff member of Senator Reynolds told her she couldn’t. Ms Higgins said the AFP also had difficulty sourcing the CCTV footage.

Linda Reynolds in the Senate on Monday. Picture: Gary Ramage

Ms Higgins said after the alleged rape she was provided a brochure for the federal parliament’s Employee Assistance Program but there was a two-month wait time to speak with a psychologist. The Australian spoke with other Coalition staffers on Monday who have accessed the EAP. They described the program as “inadequate” and a “useless” helpline.

Under questioning from Labor and the Greens on Monday, Senator Reynolds said she had never indicated to Ms Higgins that her job was at risk and it was she who first suggested she consider talking to the AFP.

“I facilitated that first meeting to ensure that she understood she had that option available to her,” Senator Reynolds said.

“All the way through this process I was at pains to make sure that my staff member understood that was available to her and that my chief of staff and I were there for her, whatever decisions she should make. She continued in my office until the election and then she voluntarily took a job, I understand a promotion, into Senator Cash’s office.”

The alleged rape was revealed by news website news.com.au on Monday after Ms Higgins went on the record to talk about her ordeal. She explained how she had felt unwell, lay down on the couch and “woke up mid-rape”.

The male colleague had allegedly led Ms Higgins back to Parliament House, used his security pass to sign her into the building and took her to Senator Reynolds’ office. AFP officers stationed at Parliament House had also noticed her.

Ms Higgins said that when she returned to work on the Monday, the colleague ignored her. The Department of Finance reported to Senator Reynolds’ office that Ms Higgins had been found half-dressed in the office — a matter classed as a security breach due to the highly classified information in her office.

An ACT Policing spokesman said that an alleged assault had been referred to it in April 2019 but the complainant had chosen not to proceed with making a formal complaint.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: OLIVIA CAISLEY, ADESHOLA ORE