PM under attack for rape case comment

AUSTRALIAN of the Year Grace Tame has taken a swipe at remarks made by Scott Morrison over the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins.

Ms Higgins, a former Liberal staffer, decided to break her silence last month after seeing the Prime Minister with Ms Tame, 26, herself a victim of abuse.

Ms Higgins says she was raped by a colleague at Parliament House in March 2019. A day after her claims were aired, Mr Morrison revealed his wife Jenny changed his perspective on the incident.

“She said to me: ‘ You have to think about this as a father first. What would you want to happen if it were our girls?’ ” Mr Morrison said.

But speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Ms Tame (pictured) had a pointed message for the Prime Minister.

“It shouldn’t take having children to have a conscience,” Ms Tame said. “And, actually, on top of that, having children doesn’t guarantee a conscience.”

Ms Tame was also asked if his handling of the incident had given survivors the confidence to be believed. “Clearly not,” she retorted.

An advocate for sexual abuse survivors, Ms Tame said she was not surprised by two recent allegations that have rocked the federal parliament.

“Cover-up culture — the abuse of power — is not unique to parliament,” she said.

Ms Tame was given the nation’s top honour for her campaign on behalf of sexual assault survivors. Her own fight has resulted in reforms to Tasmania’s gag laws, which previously prevented her from self-identifying in media.