
Security guards reportedly 'unlocked' Parliament House office before Brittany Higgins' rape.
A secret parliamentary inquiry into security at Parliament House in response to Brittany Higgins' rape found security officers unlocked the door to then-Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds’s office allowing a male staffer to take Brittany Higgins inside.
Brittany, a former Liberal Party staffer, alleges she was raped by a colleague inside Parliament House in 2019 when she was 24 years old.
The inquiry findings, reported by Samantha Maiden for news.com.au also discovered that security officers returned to the office to "determine what happened to the woman" and "found Ms Higgins disorientated and half-naked in the Defence Minister's office."
The former director of security operations at Parliament House quit his job in the wake of “tragic” alleged rape of Brittany Higgins after raising concerns over how the matter was handled. He won’t comment but says he’s happy to cooperate with any inquiry https://t.co/qT9HkBs9YR
— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) February 16, 2021
Instead of discussing what might have happened in the room, there were discussions about whether the office should be cleaned before people returned to work on Monday.
Peter Butler, a former sworn New South Wales Special Constable, and former director of security operations at Parliament House says he quit his job after raising concerns over how the matter was handled.
Read more: Everything we know about Brittany Higgins' Parliament House rape allegations.
Minister offers Brittany Higgins apology.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has offered an unreserved apology to former staff member Brittany Higgins for her handling of rape allegations.
"No woman should have to go through what she has been through," Senator Reynolds told parliament.
"That trauma that comes not just in the immediate aftermath of an assault, but in the many months and the many long years that follow it is what those of us in this building failed to acknowledge."