Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins says Prime Minister Scott Morrison has admitted the system let her down following her alleged sexual assault and that she remains "hopeful" after they agreed on the need for reform.
Ms Higgins sat down with Mr Morrison in Canberra on Friday afternoon, more than two months after she went public with allegations she was raped by a colleague inside Parliament House.
"The prime minister acknowledged the system had let me down. And we agreed that there needs to be reforms," Ms Higgins told reporters after the meeting, which she described as "difficult".
She said she spoke with Mr Morrison about what needs to happen in terms of the Members of Parliament Staff (MOPS) Act, the provision of better safeguard for staffers and the need for an independent authority to manage human resources.
"It was a difficult conversation. It was robust, but ultimately, in the end, I think there was a consensus that reform needs to happen," she said.
"I am hopeful that it will. And he is going to do the right thing by the women here."
In a statement on Friday, Mr Morrison said he was pleased to meet with Ms Higgins to discuss necessary workplace reforms and said he looks forward to working with her during the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplace tasked to Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins.
"I was pleased to be able to meet with Ms Brittany Higgins and listen to her views on how we can make parliamentary workplaces safe and more respectful. We are committed to reform," Mr Morrison said.
"Ms Higgins’ views and experience will be invaluable to the work of Commissioner Kate Jenkins. I acknowledged her courage in coming forward and assisting in this work."
The prime minister added that the meeting was also an opportunity to thanks Ms Higgins personally for her contribution to his government.
Earlier on Friday, Ms Higgins said she had a constructive meeting with Labor leader Anthony Albanese about reforming the workplace culture faced by political advisers.
"It was a very constructive meeting and I was very grateful for their time," she told reporters in Sydney.
Mr Albanese said it was an “opportunity for him to listen”.
“We need to listen to women and to listen to their concerns, to listen to the experience that they’ve gone through and to listen to their views about solutions," he told reporters on Friday.
The Labor leader said Ms Higgins had shown “incredible courage” in speaking out for both herself and other women, and he said this courage offered hope.
“It gives me great hope for this country that people like Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins have emerged as courageous women.”
He said Ms Higgins' reform ideas were "modest and reasonable".
Just as their was an independent body to deal with parliamentary expenses and a budget office to independently provide policy costings, there was also a need for an independent body for staff members, MPs and chiefs of staff to seek advice and raise workplace issues, he said.
A decision by Ms Higgins to go public in February about her alleged rape in a ministerial office at Parliament House in March 2019 sparked national rallies about the mistreatment of women.
Political leaders have pledged to cooperate on reforms.
Ms Higgins says the system failed her and she wants "a new framework for political staff that ensures genuine cultural change and restores the trust of staff".
Ministerial and parliamentary staff are owed a "significant review" into their working conditions and how they can be improved, she said in a statement earlier this year.
She is concerned political advisers have few protections, resources and confidential reporting mechanisms to address workplace issues, as they are not public servants and work in an extremely high-pressure environment.
Brittany Higgins leaves the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices after meeting with federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese in Sydney on Friday. Source: AAP
After taking evidence and submissions for her review on parliamentary workplaces, which will include the operation of the MOPS Act, Ms Jenkins is expected to provide an interim report in July and final recommendations in November.
Political parties are also overhauling their complaints reporting systems.
With AAP
