THE BRITTANY HIGGINS REVOLUTION

ONE YEAR AGO, HER SHOCKING CLAIM CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY

- John Burfitt

It’s been a long year since Australia came to know the name Brittany Higgins. The courageous Australian, then aged 26, set off a chain of events that sparked anger, outrage and, ultimately, a quest for justice.

The allegations, in which Brittany claimed she was raped in March 2019 inside Canberra’s Parliament House, unleashed an uprising that continues to have repercussions 12 months on.

Brittany’s tale was first revealed on February 15, 2021, followed by an explosive interview with The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson. Brittany, a former Liberal Party staffer for defence minister Linda Reynolds, told shocking details of her alleged rape by a colleague in a ministerial office.

Other women also came forward with their own distressing claims of sexual harassment within Parliament House.

The litany of alleged sexual crimes was met with outrage and fury, and within weeks, thousands attended the March4Justice rallies across the country, calling for an end to gender-based violence.

Lisa Wilkinson claimed Brittany had “changed forever the lives of countless women”. 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame – herself a survivor of sexual abuse – called the outrage the “change now gripping Australia”.

Labor’s Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek stated in parliament the country was seeing a turning point in the treatment of women. “This is a historic moment,” she said.