Brittany Higgins: Parliament rape accuser accuses PM of 'victim-blaming'

Brittany Higgins has alleged she was raped by a male colleague in Australia's Parliament House

A former political adviser has accused Australia's prime minister of using "victim-blaming" rhetoric in the context of her alleged sexual assault.

Brittany Higgins spoke out about her alleged rape on Monday in a TV interview which has prompted shock and outrage in Australia.

She said she feared losing her job after the alleged assault by a senior colleague in an office in March 2019.

The allegation has led to mounting government criticism and scrutiny.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sparked particular backlash after invoking his role as a husband and father while discussing his response to the assault.

"Jenny and I spoke last night and she said to me, you have to think about this as a father. What would you want to happen if it were our girls?" he told reporters.

The comments sparked fury, with people using #NotJustADaughter on social media to speak out.

Mr Morrison has also spoken of Ms Higgins finding herself in a vulnerable position at the time of the assault - a description criticised by Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt, among others.

In a new statement, Ms Higgins has accused the prime minister of using "continued victim-blaming rhetoric" which was "personally very distressing to me and countless other survivors".

The story has dominated Australian news, renewing a national debate about misogyny in politics.

Early this week, Mr Morrison apologised and said he was "shattered" by her claims. He also announced a review into workplace culture at parliament.

What does Ms Higgins allege?

Ms Higgins, who was 24 at the time of the alleged assault, says she was weeks into her new "dream job" with Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds when she went out for drinks with a group including her alleged attacker, an older male colleague.

• Why politics is toxic for Australia's women

She said the man offered her a lift home at the end of the night, but instead took her to Parliament House where she fell asleep in the minister's office drunk.

The 26-year-old said she then woke up to the man sexually assaulting her. "I woke up mid-rape essentially," she told Network Ten. "I started crying... I told him to stop."

She said he left immediately afterwards.

Ms Higgins told her employer. She said the minister told her she would be supported if she pursued a police complaint, but she felt pressured not to, believing it would end her career.

Scott Morrison has initiated a review of parliament's culture

Ms Higgins said the meeting with Ms Reynolds was also held in the room where the alleged attack took place, prompting her trauma to "loop" in her mind.

She worked for another minister in Mr Morrison's Liberal Party before quitting politics.

What is the latest on the story?

Mr Morrison is facing scrutiny over what his office knew and when.

The prime minister maintains his senior staff only found out late last week and he only learned of the alleged assault when the story broke on Monday - but senior political figures have questioned this.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared it was "incredible" that Mr Morrison did not know and "inconceivable" his senior staff were not aware of it earlier amid reports of a security review over the incident.

In her new statement, Ms Higgins said "the government has questions to answer for their own conduct" and maintains senior staff had earlier denied her access to CCTV footage of the night.

She added that she is only now learning of "key elements" about her own assault after going public - including that security guards allegedly unlocked the office on the night.

Australian politics has long faced accusations of being a hostile environment for women and the allegation has prompted calls for an independent complaints body to be set up.