Tens of thousands of people attended the March 4 Justice Rallies across Australia calling for an end to gender-based violence and workplace harassment.
The protests were organized a week ago, after Attorney General Christian Porter revealed he was the subject of a 1988 rape allegation – which he denies. A separate case – that of Brittany Higgins, an ex-political adviser who alleged in February that she was raped in a minister’s office in 2019 – has also fueled public anger. Protesters feel the government’s response to the sexual assault allegations has been inadequate.
These were the key events on Monday:
- Brittany Higgins tells Women’s March 4 Justice Rally in Canberra “the system is broken; there is a horrible societal acceptance of sexual violence experienced by women in Australia”.
- Sexual abuse survivor and Australian of the Year Grace Tame told a crowd in Hobart that “behavior unspoken, behavior ignored, is behavior endorsed”.
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison invited a delegation to meet with him in Parliament House but protest organizers declined.
- Organizers at the Canberra rally presented a petition to lawmakers with over 90,000 signatures calling for greater accountability of sexist behaviors in parliament.
- In Melbourne, protesters carried a long banner listing the names of women killed in acts of gendered violence in the past decade.
- Those behind the March 4 Justice Rally estimated that more than 100,000 women were expected to join the marches, with more than 40 being held across the country.
The public anger over the government’s handling of alleged incidents of sexual assault mirrors the sentiment on display in London over the weekend, where protests were held following the killing of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home at night-time.
