Justice and respect for Australian women

Ms WELLS (Lilley) (13:30): Nearly one year since the day Ms Brittany Higgins came forward with a horrific story about alleged crimes perpetrated on her in this building Australian women are still demanding answers from the Prime Minister. When planning to deliver a parliamentary acknowledgement of the bullying and sexual harassment that has taken place in this building, why was the Prime Minister's first act not to invite the survivors? Why are these women constantly an afterthought to the Morrison government? Why did the Prime Minister refuse to walk to his own front door to listen to 10,000 women demanding respect at work—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member must remember sub judice and say 'alleged crimes'.

Ms WELLS: I said 'alleged crimes', Mr Deputy Speaker.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I'm sorry, I thought you said otherwise. Sorry, continue.

Ms WELLS: Who knew about the reported assault of Brittany Higgins just metres away from the Prime Minister's office and when did they know? Why has the Gaetjens report not been treated with the urgency it deserves? Why a year on can the Prime Minister still not answer that question? Why did the Deputy Prime Minister in a text call the Prime Minister a liar in the same week he denied any knowledge of the alleged sexual assault that happened in our own workplace? Why did the Prime Minister refuse to release internal documents requested through the FOI process regarding the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins? Why did he give domestic and gendered violence advocates a measly two weeks to map out the next 10 years of the fight against gendered violence in Australia? Why do we still have to ask these questions a year on?