CONTENT WARNING: THIS POST DISCUSSES SEXUAL ASSAULT. IF YOU FIND ANY OF THIS CONTENT DISTRESSING, PLEASE CONTACT 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
It’s been a crazy and disheartening last few weeks in Australian politics. It seems like everyday more stories are emerging around the Parliament House sexual assault scandal, leaving the Liberal Party with a lot to answer for. It began three weeks ago, when former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins came forward with allegations that she had be sexually assaulted in 2019 while unconscious, by a former colleague in a Member of Parliament’s office. Ms Higgins claims she was subsequently convinced to remain silent about the issue and feared for her job if she ever spoke up. When Scott Morrison presented Grace Tame with the Australian of the Year award for her efforts in the Let Her Speak campaign, Brittany didn’t want to keep quiet any longer. The Prime Minister claims he wasn’t made aware of the incident until last month. Following her statement, three more women came forward with allegations of sexual assault from the same colleague. This week, Christian Porter the Attorney General, identified himself as the minister facing historic rape allegations, of which he denied. Lest we forget the sexual misconduct allegations made against Porter and Liberal MP Alan Tudge that came to light just last year.
There is clearly a long history of sexist culture in Parliament, which has resulted in sexual crimes multiple times. What I also find upsetting is the lack of empathy demonstrated by politicians when they discuss these issues, which perpetuates misogyny further. I decided to dissect two press conferences from the past few weeks, one from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and the other from Attorney General Christian Porter. Both are responses to recent allegations of sexual assault, and both highlight obvious misconceptions around the myth of the perfect victim. There are no perfect circumstances under which sexual assault occurs, it is not the fault of the victim, but the fault of the perpetrator and the system that protects them.
Scott Morrison
| What he said | What it means | What could have been done |
| “As a father first – what would you want to happen if it were our girls? Jenny has a way of clarifying things.” | Scott Morrison can’t seem to understand that sexual assault is a crime, not a woman’s issue, that rape should be acted on when it happens to someone you know, but it’s difficult to judge when it’s a stranger. The leader of Australia shouldn’t have to have a long think about the incident to confirm it’s criminality, it should be a given. | The Prime Minister should have clearly condemned the incident from his own perspective, not having to seek out clarification from his wife that the incident involving Ms Higgins was a crime. |
| “So that professional behaviour in this place does not involved a young woman finding herself in the situation she found herself in, that is unacceptable.” | A woman is responsible for protecting herself from a situation she shouldn’t have been in retrospectively. This is classic victim blaming rhetoric, and establishes that belief that a woman should never let her guard down around a man, because otherwise she may be raped, it is not the responsibility of the man to not rape someone. | Scott Morrison could have declared that there is a sexist culture in Parliament House, and it is his duty as leader of the party to change the current system of neglecting and ignoring victims. |
Christian Porter
| What he said | What it means | What could have been done |
| “I think a difference for the former opposition leader was that for him, while the police process was on foot, the entire Australian media left the issue to be dealt with by the authorities and did not start and attempt to conclude a public trial by media.” “I have been subject to the most wild, intense, unrestrained series of accusations that I can remember, in modern Australian politics. Maybe that’s the new normal. I hope for everyone’s sake, it’s not.” | Let’s downplay the seriousness of the situation by politicising the alleged incident. Whilst the Attorney General may well be innocent, he insists that this press coverage is a witch hunt where he is a victim. He dangerously disregards the trauma the sexual assault victims go through, suggesting that he is suffering because of a movement where women can finally feel safe in coming forward. | By all means Porter can deny the allegations, as is his right, but the idea that he is a victim of “public trial by media” is offensive to victims. The Attorney General could have been more sensitive to the fact that victims are retraumatised by this sort of content and furthermore that the trials that victims go through in the hope of justice are agonising. |
| “As a prosecutor for years, I helped victims. I prosecuted in trial and at sentence the most serious sexual assaults against women and children. That was my job before politics.” | In a previous career, I helped to bring justice to victims so therefore I should be exempt from accusations. No one in any career is above the law and above the right of victims to come forward and make accusations. At the same time, while Porter refers to his past life, he of course neglects to mention previous allegations of sexual misconduct made against him. | Again, there is a total lack of sensitivity. This is not a time for the Attorney General to back himself, but a time to respect that fact that his alleged victim committed suicide, and a thorough investigation needs to be carried out. While Porter insists the media is trying to carry out justice, he is openly making his defence. |
“It shouldn’t take having children to have a conscience. And, actually, on top of that, having children doesn’t guarantee a conscience”
Grace tame, in reference to Scott Morrison’s press conference
address to the national press club
It was less than 6 weeks ago when Scott Morrison presented sexual assault activist Grace Tame with the Australian of the Year Award. Now it seems that Grace’s message has been glossed over by the PM. While Scott Morrison once insisted that rape survivors need to be believed and expressed his support of the Let Her Speak movement Grace Tame was driving, Brittany Higgins felt that “his government was complicit in silencing me. It was a betrayal. It was a lie.” (Source: SBS News). As senior politicians, Scott Morrison and Christian Porter are responsible for ensuring a safe work environment for all of their staff, like any CEO, business owner or manager. If we are ever going to see a shift in attitudes of sexism and sexual assault, it needs to come from the top. We need to see decisive leadership and real action to combat sexism in parliament and that begins with believing victims and advocating for their wellbeing and justice.
