Breaking News Today: How rape allegations among Australia’s political elite reignited its #MeToo movement

3 min readMar 7, 2021

When Australia’s attorney general last week outed himself as the minister accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in 1988, his denial was emphatic.

“The things that I have read did not happen, and to suggest that they could be forgotten is ridiculous,” said Christian Porter, who oversees legal affairs and national security, before starting a period of mental health leave.

For Prime Minister Scott Morrison, that was the end of the matter.

The alleged victim didn’t file a police statement before she died, age 49, last year. After police closed the case last week, citing a lack of “admissible evidence,” Morrison refused to order an independent inquiry into the allegations, which emerged after statements by the alleged victim were anonymously sent to the Prime Minister’s office and two female politicians from other parties.

For many Australians, however, the case is not closed. Far from it.

Across the country, thousands of women are planning protests for March 15, when they will present a petition to Parliament House calling for the government to investigate all allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by Members of Parliament and their staff.

Yet their demands go far deeper than parliament. They want structural and cultural change to achieve equity across the country, in schools, workplaces and the justice system.

“We don’t want another report, (or) someone saying, ‘Oh, we’ll look into the matter.’ This has to change, right here, right now,” said Janine Hendry, a reluctant protest organizer behind the March 15 rallies.

“I didn’t think at 58 years old, I would be an activist,” Hendry added. “Nor did I think at 58 years old I would be taking to the streets to protest against this stuff. I thought we’d moved beyond it — but we haven’t.”

Hendry inadvertently tapped into a well of anger when she typed a quick tweet last Sunday, venting her frustration that women in Australia are still fighting for equality in 2021.

In just six days, more than 22,000 people joined her Facebook group, March 4 Justice. The group now has a presence on multiple social media platforms.

It’s not just Hendry. In London, another Australian woman, half Hendry’s age, is trawling through thousands of emails detailing alleged sexual assaults on schoolgirls in Australia. Chanel Contos’ movement started with a few friends sharing stories of sexual assault. It’s since morphed into a website and petition calling for education and change.

The two groups represent different demographics of Australian women — and both are angry.

‘White-hot rage’

It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment that tripped the wire on women’s fury in Australia, though it could have been two weeks ago when Brittany Higgins, a former Liberal Party staffer, alleged she was raped in the defense minister’s office in 2019. Higgins said she was inspired to come forward by Grace Tame, a former victim of grooming and sexual assault, who was named Australian of the Year in January for her work urging other women to speak out. They have listened.

Breaking News Today: How rape allegations among Australia’s political elite reignited its #MeToo movement

‘White-hot rage’

Written by Henriettajsmith

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