Grace Tame blasts Scott Morrison for "last minute" apology
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has slammed Scott Morrison’s apology to victims of alleged sexual assault and bullying in parliament as an “electioneering stunt”, calling on the federal government to do more to improve the culture within the building.
The Prime Minister, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce issued statements acknowledging victims of sexual harrassment and bullying in Parliament House.
The statements were made in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday, with Brittany Higgins and six other women present in the gallery.
Both Mr Morrison and Mr Albanese directly addressed Ms Higgins, acknowledging her bravery in coming forward to share her story.
The statements were the first recommendation of the independent Jenkins review into workplace culture within Parliament that was conducted last year.
The review was sparked by Ms Higgins’ allegations that she was raped in a ministerial office.
It found there was a “boys club” culture of “bullying, sexual harrassment and sexual assault”, and that one in three staff working within the parliamentary offices had experienced sexual harrassment.
Just after midday, Mr Morrison rose and delivered his formal apology to victims in the House of Representatives.
“I rise to recognise all of those who are why we are here today making this acknowledgement. I particularly want to acknowledge Ms Brittany Higgins, whose experience, and more importantly courage, is the reason we are all here today. And I want to thank her for that,” Mr Morrison said.
He said members of parliament understood “the power of an apology” to “bring healing and bring change”, referencing former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to Indigenous Australians.
“I am proud that this is a chamber in which we have done this on so many occasions,” he said.
“I am sorry. We are sorry. I am sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here. And the place that should have been a place for safety and contribution, turned out to be a nightmare.
“But I am sorry for far more than that. For all of those who came before Ms Higgins and endured the same. But she had the courage to stand, and so here we are.”
Ms Higgins left the chamber in tears and was briefly comforted by fellow former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller, who returned to the gallery soon after.
Though she didn’t return, Ms Higgins was mentioned by name in other acknowledgements by Mr Albanese, Greens MP Adam Bandt and Independent MP Zali Steggall.
Ms Higgins’ close friend, Ms Tame, wasn’t present for the apologies but took to Twitter to call for more concrete action.
“How about some proactive, preventative measures and not just these performative, last-minute bandaid electioneering stunts?” she wrote.
Despite sparking the workplace review, Ms Higgins was not initially on the invite list for the formal apology.
“Naturally, I would love to be there. It would be quite a full circle moment of closure to be honest,” she told news.com.au on Monday.
Members of the public - including former staffers such as Ms Higgins - have been unable to attend Parliament due to Covid rules, but an invitation was later extended to Ms Higgins after news.com.au reported on the issue.
Images: Parliament of Australia / Getty Images