Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has been released from a Canberra hospital but will remain on medical leave.
She went into hospital on Wednesday on the advice of her doctor for a pre-existing condition - cancelling her appearance at the National Press Club.
It's unclear when Senator Reynolds will resume ministerial duties as she continues to face pressure over her handling of the Brittany Higgins rape allegations.
If there is one key lesson from the past fortnight, it is that despite the best-laid plans in politics, the ability to deal with the unexpected counts most.
Australian media in a frenzy over allegations of sexual assault in federal parliament
For the past week and a half, the Australian media and what passes for official political discussion in the country have been dominated by allegations that a Liberal Party staffer was sexually assaulted by a colleague inside federal parliament two years ago.
On February 15,
news.com.au first published an article detailing the account of the complainant, Brittany Higgins. She has stated that late on the night of March 22, 2019, her and a colleague on the staff of Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds, left a social gathering together and went to the parliamentary offices alone. Higgins has said that she was intoxicated and that she awoke on a couch in Reynolds’ office, sometime very early on March 23, as the man was raping her.
Brittany Higgins s rape allegations encourage more women to come forward to report sexual assault
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ThuThursday 25
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ThuThursday 25
Brittany Higgins s allegations have prompted a surge of complaints to federal police.
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The intense publicity surrounding Brittany Higgins s alleged rape in a ministerial office has prompted a surge of women reporting sexual assault to police in the nation s capital.
Key points:
Some of the fresh allegations relate to other incidents at Parliament House with different perpetrators
Two formal complaints have been made to police about the man who allegedly raped Ms Higgins
Police have yet to speak to the man about the allegations