March 4 Justice: Tens of thousands rally across Australia, Brittany Higgins at Canberra protest
Brittany Higgins urged women to take ownership of their survival stories in a powerful address outside Parliament House.
Brittany Higgins says women must free themselves from the “stigma of shame” and take ownership of their survival stories in a powerful address to thousands gathered outside Parliament House — the building where she was allegedly raped in March 2019.
In an emotional address before demonstrators at the Women’s March 4 Justice in Canberra, the former Liberal staffer said it was time for leaders “on both sides of politics stop avoiding the subject and sidestepping accountability”.
“By staying silent, I felt like it would have made me complicit and if something of this nature had happened again, my ongoing silence would have inadvertently said to those people in charge that you can treat people in this way and it’s OK,” she said in her first public appearance since alleging she was raped by a colleague in the parliamentary offices of then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds.
Protesters gathered at more than 40 locations around the country demanding full investigations into gendered violence, additional funding, a federal gender equality act and implementation of the recommendations in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report into sexual harassment in workplaces.
Ms Higgins, who had not returned to Parliament House after she quit as an adviser for Employment Minister Michaelia Cash early last month, told the crowd Scott Morrison’s office had tried to “discredit” and “undermine” her loved ones since she came forward — a claim disputed by the Prime Minister in parliament.
“I have no knowledge of that,” he said. “I would never instruct such a thing.”
Ms Higgins, whose allegation triggered an independent inquiry into workplace culture in parliament, said she was delivering the speech “out of necessity” and to help “protect other women.” She said her political idols and colleagues did not sufficiently support her, and the systems in place to assist victims in Parliament House were inadequate, revealing that she woke up each day to “new information” about her assault through the media.
“I was raped inside Parliament House by a colleague, and for so long it felt like the people around me neither cared because of where it happened and what it might mean for them,” she said.
“It was so confusing because these people were my idols. I had dedicated my life to them. They were my social network, my colleagues, my family. And suddenly they treated me differently. I was not a person who had just gone through a life-changing event, I was a political problem.
“I decided to resign and share my story because it was the only thing I felt I could do to say I didn’t co-sign this behaviour. That I don’t believe what happened was right. That I don’t believe a brochure is adequate support. That I don’t believe people should be isolated, intimidated and ignored after traumatic incidents inside the workplace.”
Ms Higgins said serious allegations made by women must be treated as a “human problem” and urged national leaders to do more, citing statistics that one out of every five women in Australia would be sexually assaulted or raped in their lifetime.
In question time, Anthony Albanese, who attended the demonstration with deputy Labor leader Richard Marles, lauded Ms Higgins speech as “extraordinary”. He said her speech and sexual assault survivor Grace Tame’s recent address at the National Press Club gave him “great hope for Australia’s future”.
The organiser of the marches, Janine Hendry, earlier rejected an offer to meet Mr Morrison, saying it was “disrespectful” to have the conversation in private. Mr Morrison said he respected the wishes of the event’s organisers to not meet with him.
Liberal parliamentarians including Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, Liberal senators Jane Hume and Sarah Henderson and Tasmanian backbencher Bridget Archer attended the demonstration.
Jennifer Quigley, 73, who travelled from Sydney to attend the march in the nation’s capital, said her grandchildren inspired her to attend and demand “justice for women”.
“I don’t want predatory employment for them. I don’t want sexual harassment for them. I want equality. I want fairness,” she said.
More Coverage
Five-year funding lifeline for ‘crucial’ savings support program
Expanding a charity savings support program marks the latest cost-of-living support from the Albanese government; for Melissa Hughes it allowed her to ‘start from scratch’.
Millions to flow for NT peace mission
Anthony Albanese is in Alice Springs and is committing over $840m over six years to strengthen the delivery of services in Northern Territory remote communities.