Monday, March 15, 2021


Black-clad women rally in Australia to demand gender violence justice

By Colin Packham and Jill Gralow 
3/15/2021

© Reuters/JAIMI JOY Protesters rally following sexual assault allegations in Australian government in Sydney

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of women gathered outside Australia's parliament and towns and cities across the country on Monday to take part in rallies calling for gender equality and justice for victims of sexual assault.

© Reuters/MELANIE BURTON The Women's March 4 Justice rally takes place in Melbourne

The March 4 Justice rallies were spurred by a recent wave of allegations of sexual assault, discrimination and misconduct in some of Australia's highest political offices.

Women wore black to signal "strength and mourning", carried banners with slogans including "Shatter the silence. Stop the violence" and joined "We will not be silenced" chants.

Protestors in Melbourne carried a metres-long white banner bearing the names of all the women killed in Australia from gendered violence since 2008, while those outside Parliament House in Canberra prepared to deliver two petitions demanding change.

© Reuters/JAIMI JOY A protester holds a sign during the Women's March 4 Justice rally in Sydney

A delegation of organisers rejected an invitation to meet with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in private, while leaders of the major opposition political parties came out to join the crowds.
© Reuters/MELANIE BURTON The Women's March 4 Justice rally takes place in Melbourne

"We've come to his front garden," Janine Hendry, one of the organisers, told Reuters outside Parliament House. "We are 200 metres from his office and it's not appropriate for us to meet behind closed doors especially when we are talking about sexual assault which does happen behind closed doors."

A spokesman for Morrison said there was a standing offer for a private meeting and declined to comment further.

Recently reported scandals include rape allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter, who has strongly denied the alleged 1988 assault, saying it simply did not happen.

Porter lodged defamation proceedings in Australia's Federal Court on Monday against the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) over a news article on the alleged rape, his lawyer said. The ABC did not immediately respond to the legal action.

A senior political adviser for Morrison's Liberal Party has also been accused by several women of rape or sexual assault. The man has not been named, nor commented publicly on the allegations.

The public anger over the government's handling of alleged incidents of sexual assault mirrors the sentiment on display in London over the weekend, where protests were held following the killing of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home at night-time.

© Reuters/JAIMI JOY Protesters rally outside Town Hall in Sydney

In Australia, women gathered not only in major cities, but also in smaller centres like the seaside town of Torquay, where protesters lined up on the beach to form the word "justice".

Black-clad women rally in Australia to demand gender violence justice


Deirdre Heitmeyer, aged 68, said she drove for more six hours to attend the protest outside Parliament House.

"I can’t believe we have to still do this. We were out in the 1970s calling for equality and we are still here," she told Reuters.

The allegations involving people in Morrison's government and political party are expected to dominate parliamentary proceedings over the next two weeks.

Both Porter and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds - who has been criticised for failing to report an alleged rape of one of her former staff members by another - are both on sick leave.

Reynolds on Friday apologised "unreservedly" and reached a financial settlement with her former staff Brittany Higgins over the latter's allegation of rape by the unnamed former Liberal Party employee in Parliament House. Reynolds had called Higgins a "lying cow" in front of staff, a comment she said referenced comments by Higgins related to her treatment after the alleged assault, not the assault itself.

"Together, we can bring about real, meaningful reform to the workplace culture inside Parliament House and, hopefully, every workplace, to ensure the next generation of women can benefit from a safer and more equitable Australia," Higgins told women at the Canberra gathering.

(Reporting by Colin Packham and Jill Gralow, writing by Jonathan Barrett; editing by Jane Wardell)

Women across Australia march against sexual violence and inequality

Tens of thousands of women protested across Australia against sexual violence and gender inequality on Monday, as outrage grew over rape allegations that have convulsed the conservative government.

© William WEST Women protest against sexual violence and gender inequality in Melbourne

© William WEST Tens of thousands have taken to the streets as outrage grows over rape allegations that have convulsed Australia's conservative government

The #March4Justice rallies were held in more than 40 Australian cities and towns, with a major demonstration in Canberra following allegations of sexual assault in the nation's parliament.

© William WEST Australia's parliament has been repeatedly criticised in recent years for a "toxic" workplace culture that has allegedly spawned persistent bullying, harassment and sexual assault

Dressed mostly in black, the crowd gathered outside Parliament House holding aloft placards with slogans including "You're Not Listening", "How Many Victims Do You Know?" and "I Believe Her".

Protester Kathryn Jamieson, who travelled from Melbourne to take part, said she was "fuming with rage".

"I wanted to be at the heart of the matter, I've completely had enough," she told AFP. "We need immediate change -- I'm sick of women not being believed."

Former government staffer Brittany Higgins alleged publicly last month that she had been raped by a colleague in a minister's office in 2019.

And earlier this month, Attorney-General Christian Porter vigorously denied swirling accusations he had raped a 16-year-old girl in 1988 when they were both students.

The controversy has placed growing pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who critics say has fumbled the government's response to the scandals.

The latest gaffe came Monday when he told parliament: "Not far from here such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not here in this country" -- drawing furious interjections from opposition politicians and stunned reactions online
.
© Andrew LEESON Women gather outside Parliament House in Canberra, joining thousands across Australia to protest against sexual violence and gender inequality. The #March4Justice rallies are being held following allegations of sexual assault in the nation's parliament.

"The prime minister thinks women should be grateful that we weren't shot for rallying for our own safety," Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young tweeted.

Public anger at Morrison's government was reflected in a new opinion poll Monday showing voter support has fallen to levels not seen since 2019 when he vacationed in Hawaii while massive bushfires were raging in Australia.

Australia: Women protest against sexual violence and inequality

The government has ordered an independent inquiry into parliament's workplace culture and established new staff support services but activists say systemic change is now needed -- not just in politics but across Australian society.

Higgins told the crowd in Canberra her story was "a painful reminder to women that it can happen in Parliament House, and can truly happen anywhere".

"We fundamentally recognise the system is broken, the glass ceiling is still in place," she said.

"We are here because it is unfathomable that we are still having to fight this same stale, tired fight."

- 'Toxic' workplace culture -

No senior government ministers attended Monday's rallies and organisers refused Morrison's offer to speak in private, saying a closed-door meeting would be "disrespectful" to alleged victims.

"I think the prime minister, if he really cared about women, really cared about our voices... he (could) open the door, walk across the forecourt and come and listen to us," organiser Janine Hendry told the ABC.

An estimated 10,000 joined the protest in Melbourne, with thousands more in major cities including Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. Several thousand also rallied in Porter's hometown of Perth on Sunday.

"Evil thrives in silence," sexual abuse survivor and Australian of the Year Grace Tame told a crowd in the Tasmanian capital, Hobart.

"Behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored, is behaviour endorsed."

The #March4Justice is demanding a raft of measures including independent investigations into all cases of gendered violence, a boost in public funding for prevention and the implementation of recommendations from a 2020 national inquiry into sexual harassment at work.

Australia's parliament has been repeatedly criticised for a "toxic" workplace culture that has allegedly spawned persistent bullying, harassment and sexual assault.

The ruling coalition has been accused of not doing enough to support female party members, including after a spate of women quit parliament ahead of the 2019 election, with several citing bullying as a factor.

Local media also reported that women in the opposition Labor party had recently set up a Facebook page that details alleged sexual harassment by male colleagues and politicians.

A group of independent and minor-party female politicians on Monday announced they would attempt to amend a "loophole" in legislation that shields members of parliament and the judiciary from liability for workplace sexual harassment.

"It seems crazy that we would be, in 2021, having to present an amendment to a legislation that is vital to ensure all workplaces in Australia are safe and secure and respectful," independent MP Zali Steggall said.

On Monday, Porter launched defamation proceedings against public broadcaster ABC, which first published the allegations against an unnamed senior minister, with lawyers saying the attorney-general was "easily identifiable" in the article and has since been subjected to "trial by media".

Porter remains on medical leave in the wake of the allegations, as does Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who is accused of mishandling the Higgins case.

bur-hr/dm/leg


Australia reckons with sexual assault amid #MeToo second wave


BY HOLLY ROBERTSON (AFP)    

When the #MeToo movement began shaking the globe in late 2017, the reverberations Down Under were relatively muted.

Constrained by Australia's strict defamation laws, women came forward in droves online but the allegations of sexual assault and harassment only trickled into the news media.

In recent weeks however the country has been forced to reflect anew on the scourge of sexual assault, as rape scandals struck at the heart of Australian politics.

Former government staffer Brittany Higgins publicly alleged last month she had been raped by a male colleague in a minister's Parliament House office, weeks before a general election in 2019.

The 26-year-old said that she was treated like a "political problem" by her bosses, including now-Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who was later forced to apologise and pay damages for calling Higgins a "lying cow".


Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds was forced to apologise and pay damages for calling former government staffer Brittany Higgins - who alleged she had been raped in a minister's Parliament House office in 2019 - a "lying cow"

Sexual assault allegations also emerged against Attorney-General Christian Porter, 50, who denies raping a 16-year-old when they were both attending a Sydney school debating competition in 1988.

The woman died last June, reportedly by suicide, after taking her complaint to police then withdrawing from the investigation.

Canberra has been repeatedly criticised for a "toxic" workplace culture that has spawned persistent allegations of bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct against women in recent years.

Few women in politics appear immune.

Former deputy prime minister Julie Bishop sensationally said last week that a group of men in the conservative ruling Liberal Party who called themselves the "big swinging dicks" attempted to thwart her political aspirations.

But the seriousness of the latest allegations -- and perceptions the government has mishandled them -- has sparked fresh public outrage at the treatment of women in politics and wider Australian society.

A petition by 22-year-old Sydneysider Chanel Contos calling for consent to be included in school sexual education earlier has attracted more than 35,000 signatures -- as well as thousands of testimonies from female students detailing sexual assault.

Many have flocked to social media in recent weeks to call for action, with organisers expecting tens of thousands to demand gender equality at more than 40 protests across the country on Monday.

Janine Hendry, an academic and arts consultant who founded the #March4Justice, said she had initially expected just seven friends to protest with her outside Parliament House in Canberra but had been overwhelmed by the response.

"The anger is visceral, there really are so many women, and men, who have really had enough," she told AFP.

University of Sydney media studies professor Catharine Lumby said the country was "in the middle of a reckoning" spurred by women who have "unlocked a collective voice" online.

"I think #MeToo was like (version) 1.0 and now we're at #MeToo 2.0," she told AFP.

"I think the reason is that a number of very powerful men have been called out for (alleged) behaviours."

- A 'turning point'? -

Sexual discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins, who the government has appointed to lead a review into Canberra's workplace culture, called it a "turning point" for Australia.


Sexual assault allegations have emerged against Attorney-General Christian Porter, 50, who denies raping a 16-year-old when they were both attending a Sydney school debating competition in 1988
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"In my time working in this area and particularly looking in workplaces over the 30 years, I've never seen any moment like this," she told public broadcaster ABC last week.

"I think our community is changing, so we're at a turning point. That is my sense."

But critics point to lagging attitudes at the highest levels of government.

The ruling coalition has also been accused of having a "woman problem", with a spate of high-profile female politicians quitting parliament ahead of the 2019 election and several citing bullying as a factor.

Nicolle Flint, a prominent female Liberal member of parliament who publicly complained about sexist abuse, announced last month she would step down at the next election.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced new support measures for women in parliament but is standing by Porter and Reynolds, who both remain on medical leave following the allegations.

The only scalp to date has been the female head of law firm Minter Ellison, Annette Kimmett, who exited as CEO after expressing concern in an all-staff email that a senior company lawyer was advising Porter.


Former deputy prime minister Julie Bishop said that a group of men in the conservative ruling Liberal Party attempted to thwart her political aspirations

And even as calls for change and an end to "victim-blaming rhetoric" dominated headlines, the head of Australia's armed forces General Angus Campbell warned female cadets to avoid the "four As": alcohol, out after midnight, alone and being attractive.

Hendry said the movement was calling for the kind of lasting "structural change" that was delivered by other governments after #MeToo in 2017-18 but not in Australia.

"Women are marching for a lot of different reasons, but fundamentally we are all marching because we're seeking equity and we're not getting it in our current political climate," she said.

Officially, #March4Justice is demanding a raft of measures including independent investigations into all cases of gendered violence, a boost in public funding for prevention and the implementation of recommendations from a 2020 national inquiry into sexual harassment at work.

Professor Lumby said more women were also needed at the highest levels of public life.

"I think one of the problems with the Liberal Party is they don't have a 'woman problem', they have a 'man problem'," she said.

"The prime minister's cabinet is stacked with white men -- how can they understand what it's like for women most of the time
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Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/australia-reckons-with-sexual-assault-amid-metoo-second-wave/article/586935#ixzz6pADaDRFM

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