Oceania

Is the Australian Parliament the Least Safe Place to Be a Woman?

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Is the Australian Parliament the Least Safe Place to Be a Woman?

A series of sexual assault and harassment allegations have rocked the Australian government. But will it take action?

Is the Australian Parliament the Least Safe Place to Be a Woman?
Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Thennicke

On February 15, on national television, a former federal government staffer detailed how she had been raped inside the Parliament House building and was forced to choose between reporting it to the police or keeping her job. The airing of the claim should have been enough to force the resignation of Defense Minister Linda Reynolds, whom the staffer, Brittany Higgins, worked for and faced unfair treatment from in the aftermath.

But instead, the government attempted a cover up, doubled down, and deflected blame. In concluding the on-air interview, the reporter opined: “It sounds to me like the easiest place in this country to rape a woman and get away with it, is Parliament House in Canberra.”

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