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Two years after an alleged rape at Parliament House, no changes to policy have been made to help staff respond to serious incidents.
But Prime Minister Scott Morrison told parliament during Question Time that a report will be with him very very shortly and an independent complaints process - which he would discuss with Labor to gain bipartisan support - will be in place this year.
Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Services Rob Stefanic told a Senate estimates hearing earlier on Monday there had been discussions but no formal changes in policy .
The department is responsible for building access and cleaning, including in the ministerial office where the alleged rape of Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins occurred in March 2019.
Last modified on Mon 24 May 2021 03.59 EDT
Sexual assault survivor Grace Tame says Scott Morrison responded to her powerful speech at this yearâs Australia Day awards ceremony by remarking, âWell, gee, I bet it felt good to get that outâ.
In a podcast interview for the satirical newspaper the Betoota Advocate, Tame revealed the prime ministerâs comment as she criticised the Coalitionâs handling of sexual violence complaints and argued the assistant minister for women, Amanda Stoker, was not up to the job.
The Betoota Advocate hosts described Morrison as âvisibly uncomfortableâ during Tameâs Australian of the Year speech in January.
by Matthew Killoran
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Subscriber only Political firebrand Pauline Hanson is launching what will be her biggest spend for election campaign as she fights to retain her over-20-year political career. It is understood she has booked spots with WIN and Channel 7 with ads to run from this weekend and radio spots to begin within weeks. Senator Pauline Hanson is contesting the next election and will run a high-profile, regional campaign. Using a Rockhampton-based producer, Levi Appleton, the first of what is expected to be a series of ads focuses on Senator Hanson talking about trust. They may not always agree with what I say, but they know I say it with the passion that I really believe in what I m trying to do, she said in the ad.