A panel of influential women have used their appearance on Q+A to call for an independent inquiry into a historical rape allegation made against Attorney-General Christian Porter, that he has strenuously denied.
Key points:
- Defence Minister Linda Reynolds was accused of being part of a misogynistic culture in Parliament
- Nationals MP Susan McDonald defended the Prime Minister's stance on not calling for an inquiry into historical allegations against Christian Porter
- Multiple panellists called for an independent inquiry to be launched
Their call — not only to respect the alleged victim, but also Mr Porter — came after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there was no need for an inquiry.
They also called for a better culture in Parliament in the wake of reports that Defence Minister Linda Reynolds referred to alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins as a "lying cow" in comments unrelated to the alleged rape.
Mr Porter has been accused of an alleged rape of a teenage girl in 1988, and the woman made a complaint to NSW Police last year, before withdrawing the complaint, then taking her own life.
On Wednesday, Mr Porter strenuously denied the allegation in a press conference he called to identify himself as the minister at the centre of the allegation.
That allegation is not the only one plaguing the Coalition at present with Defence Minister Linda Reynolds under fire for reportedly referring to former staffer and alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins as a "lying cow".
On Q+A, Nationals Senator Susan McDonald said that while she felt "deeply" for the woman involved and her family, NSW police had closed the investigation and that should be the end of the matter.
But she was the only panellist whose opinion aligned with the Prime Minister's.
"We have a system of justice in this country [and] a police service that is well resourced and the most capable of understanding whether or not evidence needs to go to trial — and they have closed the matter," Ms McDonald said.
"We can't have a situation where allegations equate to guilt."
Her comment on the justice system provoked Western Australian Labor MP Anne Aly, who said she was "sick and tired" of "lip service" from the government on the issue of women's rights.
"We keep talking about justice for the accused. What about justice for the [alleged] victim?" Ms Aly said.
Loading"I am infuriated by this because I'm sick and tired of the lip service that we hear in Parliament about hearing victims' voice, about listening to women, about respect for women.
"And what did he do? He came out and he said" 'Well, I have asked him if he did it and he said no, and that's enough for me'."
Multiple calls for an inquiry
Her comments were echoed by lawyer Dhanya Mani, who in 2019 contacted the Prime Minister's office regarding her own allegation of indecent assault, made against a senior NSW Baird government staffer in 2014/15.
"I would like the Prime Minister to establish an independent inquiry," Ms Mani said.
"The fact that the police are not pursuing the matter for practical reasons does not preclude or prevent the Prime Minister from undertaking an inquiry into a very serious allegation.
"And that inquiry will either exonerate Christian Porter and prove his innocence or it will prove otherwise.
"Either way, this is a serious, serious allegation. It needs to be treated seriously."
Ms Dhani said she knew the deceased and called for former Justice Virginia Bell to head a High Court inquiry.
Samantha Maiden, who is chief political correspondent for news.com.au, also said there should be an inquiry, but she suggested a coronial inquest.
She said the justice system in this instance had failed all parties involved.
"There is a strong argument that the justice system has failed not only the alleged victim, but Christian Porter, because he has not been given the opportunity to be interviewed by police, to provide an affidavit, to have witnesses come forward," she said.
"Christian Porter has a right to the presumption of innocence.
"So, let him give sworn evidence.
"A coronial inquiry is never going to rule on criminal matters [but] it would provide an opportunity for him to give his version of events for a coroner to ask him questions about it.
"[And] … to ask questions about why this woman was released after she'd been under medical care, and then forced, as I understand it, to be quarantined at home for two weeks.
"She rang the police during that process, where she was obviously very distressed, and she said that she didn't want to proceed with the complaint."
Reynolds 'part of the problem'
The panel, consisting of Ms McDonald, Ms Aly, Ms Mani, Ms Maiden and artificial intelligence expert Kate Crawford, also called out Defence Minister Linda Reynolds for reportedly referring to alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins as a "lying cow".
Ms Higgins alleges she was raped in the Defence Minister's office by a former Parliament House staffer.
Ms Reynolds has taken leave in the wake of the allegation, but her standing took a further blow on Wednesday night when she did not deny making the "lying cow" reference.
Ms Higgins later said the slur was further proof of Parliament's toxic culture.
LoadingMs McDonald defended her colleague as "an incredibly compassionate woman and a great leader … who was caught saying something that she has said later that she regretted."
It was a comment that was immediately rebuffed by Ms Maiden, who received applause from the studio audience for her response.
"To be honest, there is nothing human or compassionate about calling an alleged rape victim a lying cow," she said, before adding that Ms Reynolds should answer to Ms Higgins over the comment.
Ms Mani also took aim at the Defence Minister.
"At what point is enough?" Ms Mani asked
"A lying cow? Really? That's meant to be language that we're meant to look on as a woman's kindness and compassion?"
She said the issue was not limited to the Coalition and misogyny in Parliament was an issue for all sides and all genders of parliamentarians to examine.
"For there to be an environment that exists in which an extremely senior woman in politics felt that she would be able to say that somebody who is extremely traumatised and has come forward with a rape allegation is a lying cow is a reflection of just how broken our Parliaments are," Ms Mani said.
"[It is a reflection] of just how misogynistic our Parliaments can be, and of the gaslighting and abuse that Parliamentarians are prepared to put at the feet of survivors.
"It's one thing to say in her statement, 'well, I didn't call her a liar about the allegation', but you are trying to smear her about everything else.
"What does that say about the respect that women in the most senior offices in this country have for women who are coming forward about these things?
"It is something our senior female politicians really need to look on.
"Politicians need to look on the inside about and question: 'Have I internalised misogyny [and] am I part of the problem?'
Watch the full episode of Q+A on iview.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAzLTA0L2NhbGxzLWZvci1pbmRlcGVuZGVudC1pbnF1aXJ5LWludG8tcG9ydGVyLWFsbGVnYXRpb25zLXErYS8xMzIxNzU3NNIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMzIxNzU3NA?oc=5
2021-03-04 12:39:51Z
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