CANBERRA: Women protested across Australia on Monday against sexual violence and gender inequality, with tens of thousands hitting the streets as outrage grew over rape allegations that have convulsed the conservative government. The #March4Justice rallies were held in more than 40 Australian cities and towns, with a major demonstration in Canberra following allegations of sexual assault in the nation´s parliament. Dressed in mostly black, the crowd gathered outside Parliament House holding aloft placards with slogans including “You´re Not Listening”, “How Many Victims Do You Know?” and “I Believe Her”. Protester Kathryn Jamieson, who travelled from Melbourne to take part, said she was “fuming with rage”. “I wanted to be at the heart of the matter, I´ve completely had enough,” she told media. “We need immediate change — I´m sick of women not being believed.” Former government staffer Brittany Higgins alleged publicly last month that she had been raped by a colleague in a minister´s office in 2019. And earlier this month, Attorney-General Christian Porter vigorously denied swirling accusations he had raped a 16-year-old girl in 1988 when they were both students. On Monday, Porter launched defamation proceedings against public broadcaster ABC, which first published the allegations against an unnamed senior minister, with lawyers saying the attorney-general was “easily identifiable” in the article and has since been subjected to “trial by media”. Local media also reported that women in the opposition Labor party had recently set up a Facebook page that details alleged sexual harassment by male colleagues and politicians.
