Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Eleven days after her reported rape in March 2019, Brittany Higgins received a text message from a government staffer which read:

Spoke to PMO. He was mortified to hear about it and how things have been handled. He's going to discuss with COS -- no one else. I flagged need for councillor …

Isn't it beyond belief that the Prime Minister's office didn't know until this year, when two years ago a member of the Prime Minister's office was mortified and discussed the need for a counsellor for Brittany Higgins?

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

I thank the member for her question. I have advised the House about when I am advised my office first knew about these matters. That is the information that is available to me. I note the report that you make reference to, and that is a matter that is within the scope of the process that the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is looking at right now. That is in the scope of those processes, and I will await the secretary of the department to provide that report to me.