Scott Morrison apologises woman over assault allegations

Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised to a woman who said she had been sexually assaulted by an anonymous colleague in Australia's parliament and vowed an in-depth inquiry into government culture in the workplace.

The woman claimed she was assaulted by someone who also worked for Morrison's ruling Liberal party in the office of Defense Minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019.

The woman said that she notified senior staff of the suspected assault in Reynolds' office. She said then she was asked to participate in the office meeting where she claims she has been targeted.

Reynolds acknowledged Monday that last year she was informed of the complaint but denied that the woman had been under pressure to lodge a police complaint.

Morrison apologized to the woman on Tuesday and vowed an inquiry.

Morrison has told reporters in Canberra, "That shouldn't have happened, and I apologize. I want to make sure any young woman working in this place is as safe as possible."

In the early April of that year, she told local media that she spoke to the police but chose not to make a formally lodged report because of her career prospects. City police reported in April 2019 that they met with a complainant, but opted not to lodge a formal complaint.

Morrison said that he named Stephanie Foster, the Prime Minister's department and the Cabinet official to investigate the workplace complaints process, while a backing legislator would analyze the culture of the workplace.

In 2019, female backbench parliamentary legislators announced that they felt intimidated in favor of an oust move to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and last year, Alan Tudge, a former member of the Liberal team, complained of offensive behaviour.

After a series of complaints of unequal behavior against women within the Liberal Party, the accusation has raised the pressure on Morrison.

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February 20, 2021

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