Scott Morrison has ordered a review of workplace culture in Australia's parliament
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Australia’s prime minister has been accused of using "victim-blaming" language by a former government adviser who alleges that she was raped in parliament.
Brittany Higgins said on Monday that she had been assaulted while working as a government staffer in Canberra in a TV interview that has shocked Australia and raised questions over the culture of misogyny in its politics.
The allegation has led to scrutiny of Mr Morrison’s response and he sparked a backlash after claiming that he was provoked to empathise with Ms Higgins after invoking his role as a father.
"Jenny [his wife] and I spoke last night and she said to me, you have to think about this as a father. What would you want to happen if it were our girls?" he told reporters.
The comments sparked outrage, with people using #NotJustADaughter on social media to criticise Mr Morrison. Men empathising with women who are victims of sexual assault only when those women are relatives or partners is considered a behaviour endemic in "rape culture" – a term for an environment that normalises sexual violence against women.
Another such behaviour is victim-blaming and Mr Morrison has also spoken of Ms Higgins finding herself in a vulnerable position at the time of the assault, which was roundly criticised.
In a statement on Thursday, Ms Higgins accused the prime minister of using "continued victim-blaming rhetoric" which was "very distressing to me and countless other survivors".
Brittany Higgins said she feared she would lose her job if she reported the assault
Earlier this week, Mr Morrison apologised and said he was "shattered" by Ms Higgins’ claims. He also announced a review into the working culture of Australia’s parliament.
Ms Higgins, 26, has said she was treated like a "political problem" when she reported the incident to the office of Linda Reynolds, who is now the Defence Minister, and the case was mismanaged.
Ms Higgins has accused the government of publicising key elements of the alleged attack that had not been shared with her.
"The government has questions to answer for their own conduct," she said.
The prime minister initially defended his government’s approach but on Wednesday faced further questions about what he knew and when. He has claimed he knew nothing of the allegation until five days ago.
"I’m not happy about the fact that it was not brought to my attention, and I can assure you people know that," Mr Morrison said.
But it has emerged that the member of staff who handled Ms Higgins’ initial complaint now works in Mr Morrison’s office.
Ms Higgins alleged that a "fixer" for Mr Morrison called her to "check in" late last year when other women accused two male ministers of sexism and bullying.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull — also a member of the conservative Liberal Party — declared it "inconceivable" that the case was not discussed at high levels.
"I find it incredible. That’s to say very, very, very hard to believe, that the Prime Minister’s office would not have been aware of that incident as soon as it occurred," he told ABC.
"I mean, if they weren’t, it was a complete failure of the system."
The opposition Labor Party has said Ms Reynolds should resign for her failings.
"If I was the prime minister and these events had occurred and a minister in my cabinet had kept any information from me or my office, then they wouldn’t be still maintaining that position," leader Anthony Albanese told Sky News.
Ms Reynolds apologised to Ms Higgins on Tuesday and declined in the Senate to answer questions about the incident on the basis that there is an active police investigation. However, moments before Mr Morrison told parliament that Ms Higgins has suspended her police complaint.
Women lawmakers from minor parties on Wednesday wrote to Mr Morrison demanding an "urgent external review" of current policies and the establishment of an independent body to oversee future workplace complaints, which are currently handled by the Finance Department.
"We think it’s really important that there be for an independent pathway for people who have experienced (this) — and we know there’s been many similar situations to Brittany," MP Rebekha Sharkie said.
Australia’s parliament has been repeatedly criticised for a "toxic" workplace culture that has allegedly spawned persistent bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct against women.
The ruling coalition has also been accused of having a "woman problem", with a spate of high-profile female politicians quitting parliament ahead of the 2019 election and several citing bullying as a factor.
In response, Mr Morrison boosted the number of women in cabinet and has said other steps were taken to improve the parliamentary workplace.
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