World News

Australia Prime Minister apologises for abuse, bullying in parliament

Australia’s prime minister apologised for widespread sexual harassment, abuse and bullying of political staff Tuesday, a year after a high-profile rape allegation rocked the country’s parliament.

Addressing lawmakers, Scott Morrison apologised directly to former staffer Brittany Higgins who said she was raped by a male colleague in a minister’s office in 2019. But I am sorry for far more than that — for all of those who came before Ms Higgins and endured the same.

Over many decades, an ecosystem, a culture, was perpetuated where bullying, abuse, harassment, and in some cases even violence, became normalised,” he said. Higgins went public in January last year, sparking nationwide protests.

Australians were shocked by the alleged abuse she experienced, but also the way she was treated when she told her bosses. She said she felt pressured not to go to the police ahead of the 2019 election and described a “culture of silence” in Australian political parties.
In the wake of Higgins’ allegations, and those of other staffers who came forward after her, the government launched multiple inquiries.

One of those, the 450-page Jenkins Review, found that one-in-three people currently working in Commonwealth workplaces have experienced sexual harassment while working there. In his speech, Morrison said: “This has to change. It is changing. And I believe it will change.

Source: Reuters

In other news – Zodwa Wabantu officially a sangoma

Zodwa Wabantu has officially embraced her ancestral power and she has shared a photo from her initiation.

Zodwa Wabantu

Early this year, the star shared on her Instagram page a picture of herself in a stream wrapped in traditional healer cloths with goat’s horns in her hands. Learn more