As rape allegations rock Australian parliament, thousands of women say enough is enough

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SYDNEY When Brittany Higgins rose to her feet in front of the Australian Parliament in Canberra on Monday, she said to the assembled crowd: I am speaking to you out of necessity.

We are all here today not because we want to be here, but because we have to be here, the former cabinet member told the crowd of thousands, many of whom were dressed entirely in black.

I was raped inside Parliament by a colleague, and for so long I felt like the people around me only cared about where it happened and what what it could mean to them, she said.

The rally in Canberra was among dozens of March 4 justice protests across Australia this week, sparked by multiple allegations of sexual assault against men in the country’s corridors of power.

Last month, Higgins, 26, made public the allegation that she was raped by an anonymous male colleague in a minister’s office in 2019. Police are investigating but no arrests or charges have been made.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke to media on March 1 about a historic rape allegation involving a then anonymous Cabinet Minister. Rick Rycroft / AP File

Days after his allegation, details surfaced accusing Attorney General Christian Porter of rape decades ago in 1988. The things that are claimed did not happen, said Porter, who strongly denied the allegation, to reporters earlier this month. The allegation is now the subject of an ongoing defamation action by Porter. He is also taking extended sick leave.

While both of these allegations were directed against members of the ruling Conservative government, news.com.au reported the existence of a social media group in which female workers from the opposition Labor Party shared their experiences of a toxic culture in Parliament.

Deputy party leader Richard Marles replied: This is our house, which we need to clean up, and these are truly appalling allegations.

The idea for the protests began with a tweet from a Melbourne woman, Janine Hendry, who suggested that a women’s group meet outside Parliament on Monday to express their outrage.

Ok, here’s my thought: is it possible to form a circle of people around the perimeter of Parl Hse? Then all of us extremely disgruntled women could go to Canberra on March 8 and form a ring connecting our arms and our backs facing the parliament and silently protest.2

Janine Hendry (@janine_hendry) February 24, 2021

Before long, thousands of other women said they would join or take to the streets of their own towns and villages.

Tens of thousands of Australians have taken part in 40 related rallies in recent days, each featuring banners with messages such as Why would she lie? and Enough is Enough.

The recent revelations show that Parliament has a culture of misogyny and that it is a dangerous place to work, Hendry told NBC News.

The government appears to be completely overwhelmed and unwilling to listen to the concerns of everyday women. And even worse, there seems to be a culture of denial and cover-up. We call for transparency and action.

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Hendry and other protesters are demanding full independent investigations into all cases of gender-based violence and prompt referrals to appropriate authorities.

It’s a parliamentary problem, it’s an Australian problem, it’s a global problem. It will always be a problem where there is a gender imbalance in power, she said.

People attend a protest against sexual violence and gender inequality in Melbourne on Monday.William West / AFP – Getty Images

And the polls show that it is indeed a national problem. According to a 2018 Australian Human Rights Commission survey, 39% of women report experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace in the past five years.

Hayley Foster, CEO of advocacy group Womens Safety NSW, joined the Canberra protest, which she said was part of a nationwide uprising.

There was a real feeling that this was something really important and that everyone there was part of a very historic event. It is a turning point. Not only for Parliament, but workplaces and schools will be much more attentive to this and much more sensitive to disclosures after last month.

Foster said not only a cultural change in Australia is needed, but also criminal justice reform and increased funding for women’s security services.

[In Australia] 98.5% of sexual predators will not be held accountable and will be considered innocent in the eyes of the law because our criminal justice system is so inaccessible. Its so ineffective at providing a fair outcome for survivors of sexual assault.

I hope there will now be more action as a result of [the protests] I have a feeling the Australians will not shy away from this.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday he was too busy to make it to the Canberra rally, but offered to meet a small delegation of organizers in his office. The organizers refused, saying we would not meet behind closed doors.

Discussing the protests, Morrison said those who gather here today and across the country do so out of a sense of great frustration and concern. It is a deserved frustration and concern that I share.

But he also called the rallies a triumph of democracy because the protesters were not shot like in some other countries.

Opposition Labor Party Tanya Plibersek, who holds the title of shadow minister for women, said the PM had missed the point deeply.

[The comment] That we are thankful, that we are in a place where you don’t get shot for walking, that was so wrong, she said.

A protester quickly made a sign saying How good is ScoMo so as not to shoot us, using Morrisons coat rack and adapting its slogan, How good is Australia.

The prime minister’s office did not respond to specific questions about the protests, but instead highlighted one of Morrisons’ previous statements.

The issue of violence against women continues to be a very high priority for my government. We have set up an independent inquiry that examines the broader issues of staff treatment and their protections, he said.

This was not the first time the government has come under fire since recent allegations of sexual assault surfaced.

Shortly after Higgins made her allegation, the Australian newspaper reported that her former boss, Linda Reynolds, Australian Minister of Defense, had called her a lying cow. Reynolds has since apologized and is now on extended sick leave.

Meanwhile, Morrison backed Porter after an allegation he raped a 16-year-old girl in 1988 when he was 17. The allegation surfaced last month when an anonymous letter was sent to several politicians, including Morrison, containing an alleged victim impact statement. .

Former Liberal staff member Brittany Higgins arrives Monday to address a March 4 Women for Justice rally in Canberra.AAP Image / Lukas Coch / Reuters

The woman involved took her own life last year and NSW Police have ended their investigation citing insufficient admissible evidence.

But as that math continues, Australians like Higgins say they won’t rest until discrimination against women and sexual assault is properly addressed.

We have all learned over the past few weeks how common gender-based violence is in this country, she told the crowd on Monday.

It is time for our leaders on both sides of politics to stop avoiding the subject and sidestepping accountability. It’s time we really tackled the problem, Higgins said.

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