Parliament House rape allegations: Scott Morrison to ‘test’ his staff on when they knew of claims

PM asks his most senior bureaucrat to find out when staff knew about Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape amid doubts over his timeline.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

Scott Morrison has asked his most senior bureaucrat to “test” whether members of his staff knew about the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins before last Friday, following the publication of an explosive new text message that casts doubt on his timeline of events.

The Australian revealed on Friday that one of the Prime Minister’s staffers was “mortified” after learning of an incident involving Ms Higgins in early April 2019.

In the text message obtained by The Australian, which was sent to Ms Higgins by a fellow Liberal staffer on the morning of April 3, 2019 within a fortnight of when the alleged rape occurred, a colleague said he had spoken directly with a member of Mr Morrison’s staff.

“Spoke to PMO. He was mortified to hear about it and how things have been handled,” the text says. “He’s going to discuss with COS — no one else. I flagged need for councillor (sic) and desire to be closer to home during election.”

Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Philip Gaetjens. Picture: AAP

Mr Morrison said he had spoken to PM&C secretary Philip Gaetjens on Friday morning and asked him to look into the text message as part of a review he was already conducting that will scrutinise his staff members’ knowledge and records of the alleged rape.

He repeatedly stood by his timeline this week that his office did not find out about the alleged rape until February 12, despite Ms Higgins claiming that three of his staff members had prior knowledge of the incident that occurred in then-defence industry minister Linda Reynolds’ office on March 23, 2019 after a night out drinking.

“If there was anything different here, I would like to know,” Mr Morrison said. “That is why I have asked the secretary of my department to actually test that advice that I received.

“I can tell you I knew about it on Monday. Frankly it shattered me, it absolutely shattered me. Of course the many ramifications of this but, frankly, the one that shattered me the most was just the sheer humanity of what has occurred here.

“Whether I‘m distressed is not the issue, it is about Brittany at the end of the day and anyone else in that situation. That is what I have to maintain my focus on.”

Mr Morrison declared he had not misled Australians and had sought to be open and honest about the matter.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton acknowledged Mr Morrison would have to “deal with” any fallout if he had been misled by staff about when and what they knew about the alleged rape.

“He (Mr Morrison) was angry this week, I can tell you, behind the scenes at his staff and the way in which he wasn‘t briefed and provided that information (until Monday),” Mr Dutton told Nine’s Today show.

“He expressed that in parliament as well. He was right to be angry, if he has been misled than that‘s a different level for him to deal with. But on the advice that he’s received during the week, and as he said in parliament, that’s the facts as he knows them.

“To be reasonable, he can only report the facts as he‘s advised by his staff, and the other investigations and the rest of it now can get under way and if there’s new information, then that can be investigated as well. But it comes back to those two fundamental points as I think everybody would recognise as being the priorities now; Brittany’s welfare and the investigation.”

Anthony Albanese said the April 3, 2019 text message “completely contradicts” what Mr Morrison told parliament.

“Here you have text messages clearly indicating that it was raised with the Prime Minister‘s office, and the response from the Prime Minister’s office saying that he would raise it with the chief of staff. And, frankly, it’s beyond belief that it wouldn’t then be raised with the chief of staff, at least,” Mr Albanese said on ABC TV.

“This occurs in April of 2019. Of course, two weeks after the reported sexual assault. But, of course, also one month before the federal election was held. And it‘s just incomprehensible that the Prime Minister’s office, given a reported sexual assault had occurred 50 metres from his office, wouldn’t have then had a discussion about handling the issues, and about what needed to be done in terms of a response.”

One of Mr Morrison’s staff members who knew about the event was Senator Reynolds’ chief of staff at the time Ms Higgins was allegedly raped.

Ms Higgins has said that staff member made her feel her job would be jeopardised if she pursued the matter. But Mr Morrison indicated on Thursday there had been some gratitude for the support that was provided Ms Higgins after the alleged sexual assault.

Asked if Mr Morrison had raised Ms Higgins’ employment concerns with his staff member, Mr Morrison said: “I am happy to indicate I have had conversations about the support provided by the member of my staff now. She was working as the chief of staff to the minister for defence industry at the time.

“I have discussed those matters with her and the support provided and she indeed has indicated to me some appreciation that was also provided to her at the time in the messages that were sent to her.

“We all accept that Brittany no longer feels in any way that she felt supported, particularly over the prolonged period of time.”

Senator Reynolds, now the Defence Minister, also defended her handling of the alleged rape in her parliamentary office, declaring she was confident that she and her former chief of staff took steps they believed were in the best interests of the young employee.

However, after days of questioning from Labor in the Senate, Senator Reynolds failed to clarify what she knew and when. She said she did not pass information onto Mr Morrison’s staff because of welfare and privacy concerns.

Senator Reynolds also did not say what she knew when she met Ms Higgins on April 1 in the room where the alleged rape happened.

The Australian Federal Police later confirmed one of its senior members met Senator Reynolds and her then chief of staff on April 4 “in relation to allegations of sexual assault in the minister’s office on 23 March, 2019”.

“Throughout this entire time, my sole desire has been to let Brittany herself determine how this matter would be dealt with,’’ Senator Reynolds said.

Brittany Higgins. Picture: Supplied

Linda Reynolds. Picture: APH via NCA NewsWire

Ms Higgins escalated her row with Mr Morrison on Wednesday over the government’s handling of her alleged rape, accusing him of “victim blaming rhetoric” that was “personally very distressing to me and countless other survivors”.

Mr Morrison told parliament he was “sorry” that Ms Higgins felt he had been “victim blaming” and announced new mental health support for MPs and staff in the building from next week.

Questioned over her assertion on Thursday, Mr Morrison said: “The last thing I would want to see is to add any further distress to what Brittany is already going through. I am doing everything I can to ensure that that is the case in how we seek to handle these ­issues. I am very sorry she feels that way.

“I have been listening to what she’s been saying and I am seeking to put in place arrangements, whether it is the support of staff who are here in this building here and now and will be feeling, I think, increasingly fragile or vulnerable because of the nature of these events that have arisen this week.

“The best way I can I think ­address those comments is to ensure that I am doing everything within my power to try and make this a safer place.”

Labor and crossbenchers have also begun proposing prominent Australians to lead an independent review into parliament’s workplace culture, with former inspector-general of intelligence and security Vivienne Thom, sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins and her predecessor Elizabeth Broderick among their top picks.

Mr Morrison said earlier this week he was unhappy Senator Reynolds had failed to tell his ­office or himself about the alleged rape for nearly two years.

The minister said she and her former chief of staff “at all times” followed the advice of the Department of Parliamentary Services and Department of Finance, as she offered her second apology of the week to Ms Higgins.

Senator Reynolds said she was sorry Ms Higgins felt unsupported and that some of her own actions added to the former staffer’s distress.

“I became aware incrementally over a period of days of Brittany’s story during private conversations with her and my then chief of staff and via reports from parliamentary authorities,” Senator Reynolds said. “My chief of staff and I moved quickly to ensure that Brittany was given access to the police, should she wish to make a complaint.”