Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The matter just raised by the Leader of the Opposition has been on the public record since Monday of last week. I've been very clear that I learned of these matters on 15 February and ,that my office, I am advised, knew of these matters on 12 February, which is exactly what the Minister for Home Affairs just said. I learned of it on the Monday and my office learned of it, I am advised, on the Friday. The Minister for Home Affairs advised my office, through his chief of staff to mine, on the Friday.

What is relevant here is what should members, senators, leaders of the opposition, prime ministers, ministers, shadow ministers and whoever do, in the case of one of our members of staff—or, indeed, a member, a senator or a colleague—if we are aware of, or they wish to make a complaint in relation to, an alleged sexual assault? The commissioner of the Australian Federal Police has advised all of us that what should be done, in respecting the person who is at the centre of this, is to advise and pass this information on to the police. That is what we've been advised to do. That is the process. That is the process the Minister for Defence Industry followed at the time. Had I been in a position of knowing about this earlier, I would have done two things: I would have inquired about the welfare of Brittany Higgins at that time and about what support had been provided to her; and I would have inquired as to whether the matter had been raised with the police. On both of those cases, as we have learned, in the answers that have been provided—

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