Fourth woman joins Brittany Higgins in alleging she was sexually assaulted by former Liberal staffer

A fourth woman claimed to have been sexually assaulted by the same political staff accused of raping a colleague in the Capitol.

The woman claims a former Liberal Party employee who reached under the table to stroke her thighs at a bar in Canberra in 2017.

She will submit a report to the Canberra police station and issue a formal statement later this week.

The woman came forward to ABC after Brittany Higgins claimed to have been raped by a man in 2019.

Two other women, a liberal staff member and a former party volunteer, also claim to have been sexually assaulted by him.

Ms. Higgins was hired by Defense Minister Linda Reynolds on suspicion of assault.

Labor senator Penny Wong said there was a question for Senator Reynolds to answer how Higgins’ complaint was handled.

“She wasn’t treated as a human being. She wasn’t treated as a survivor of rape and as a victim of a serious crime,” she told Congress.

“She was treated as a political issue.”

Senator Wong said Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s words were hollow during the absence of a culture of accountability.

“At best, we know that Mr Morrison runs a culture-free government. Don’t say anything about serious criminal accusations,” she said.

“In the worst case, Morrison himself is part of the cover-up.”

Workers, Greens and One Nation have accused the government of setting up a whitewashed investigation in response to the allegations.

Rape allegations have triggered several investigations into work culture in federal politics.

The Prime Minister also approved an external grievance process for parliamentarians and their staff.

Greens is asking the government to set up an independent review of how Ms. Higgins’ allegations were processed.

Higgins initially chose not to pursue police complaints, fearing that her job would be at a loss.

Cabinet Minister Simon Birmingham said there was a balance to be struck by those informed about the allegations in situations where someone chose not to continue the police complaint.

He said respecting the individual’s right to make decisions needs to be weighed against the responsibilities of others in pursuit of action.

Labor Rep. Joel Fitzgibbon said cultural issues should be solved by men, not women.

“Men need to understand that when they do these things, the full power of the law falls upon them,” he told Seven Network.

Independent MP Zali Steggall was contacted by a former employee with a traumatic story about their time in Congress.

She wants an independent investigation to accept anonymous reports.

“It’s very important that we draw a line in the sand and move your story forward to ensure that there are no of these cases here and the perpetrators are brought to justice,” said Stegggal. I told reporters.

“That’s the part I’m most angry with, claiming a very serious crime committed that hasn’t been properly investigated.”

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