THE BRITTANY HIGGINS REVOLUTION
ONE YEAR AGO, HER SHOCKING CLAIM CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY
It’s been a long year since Australia came to know the name Brittany Higgins. The courageous Australian, then aged 26, set off a chain of events that sparked anger, outrage and, ultimately, a quest for justice.
The allegations, in which Brittany claimed she was raped in March 2019 inside Canberra’s Parliament House, unleashed an uprising that continues to have repercussions 12 months on. Brittany’s tale was first revealed on February 15, 2021, followed by an explosive interview with The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson. Brittany, a former Liberal Party staffer for defence minister Linda Reynolds, told shocking details of her alleged rape by a colleague in a ministerial office. Other women also came forward with their own distressing claims of sexual harassment within Parliament House. The litany of alleged sexual crimes was met with outrage and fury, and within weeks, thousands attended the March4justice rallies across the country, calling for an end to gender-based violence. Lisa Wilkinson claimed Brittany had “changed forever the lives of countless women”. 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame – herself a survivor of sexual abuse – called the outrage the “change now gripping Australia”.
Labor’s Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek stated in parliament the country was seeing a turning point in the treatment of women. “This is a historic moment,” she said.
Speaking to New Idea on the anniversary of Brittany’s allegations, Tanya believes a major shift has taken place in Australia over the past year.
“The victims I knew about when I was growing up were murdered women like Anita Cobby and Janine Balding, who experienced the most horrific violent deaths,” Tanya recalls.
“What gives me real hope is it’s the survivors of sexual assault now leading the discussion, standing up and courageously using their experience of the worst thing that’s happened to them to make a safer community now for everyone.
“Survivors are leading the discussion about how the whole system can work better, and actually demanding change and policies that will prevent sexual assault, sexual harassment and domestic violence from happening in the first place.
“I find that not only encouraging, but also empowering for all women.”
According to the 2016
Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey, one in six women experience sexual assault from the age of 15. Between 2010 and 2018, rates of sexual assault reports to police rose by more than 30 per cent.
As Brittany stated at the March4justice rally on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra last March: “This isn’t a political problem, this is a human problem.
“It’s time our leaders on both sides of politics stop avoiding the subject and sidestepping accountability. It’s time we actually address the problem.”
Such was the impact of Brittany’s allegations that it led to the government responding to the landmark Respect@work report by sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins. In November, the Set the Standard report was also released, which looked at
‘THIS ISN’T A POLITICAL PROBLEM, THIS IS A HUMAN PROBLEM’
Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces. The report found 51 per cent of parliamentary staffers had experienced bullying, sexual harassment, or actual or attempted sexual assault.
The Respect @Work report recommended a significant overhaul of current laws, but only six of the 55 recommendations were enshrined into law by the Morrison Government.
“The fact the government has picked and chosen only the recommendations they agree with from the Respect@work report is really disappointing,” Tanya argues.
“You need to implement all the recommendations. There’s a whole bunch of legal changes we need to make prosecuting rapists and perpetrators of domestic violence easier, and actually get convictions when people are guilty.
“We also need attitudinal change and that happens at a leadership level. This is something that will take generations and we’ve got to stick with it.
“Australian women don’t want special treatment. They just want to be safe at home, at work and on the street.”
The man accused of raping Brittany in Parliament House will stand trial in June in the ACT Supreme Court.
Her former colleague, Bruce Lehrmann, was charged after Brittany made a complaint to the Australian Federal Police, sparking a lengthy investigation.
Lehrmann is pleading not guilty and denies that any form of sexual activity took place.