In a move that will no doubt shock you, Pauline Hanson, a senator known for her ~nuanced perspective on important issues~, has described yesterday’s nationwide Women’s March 4 Justice protests as “anti-men”.
Earlier today in an interview on Sky News, another bastion of balance, she urged people to “stop demonising men”, News.com.au reports.
The Women’s March 4 Justice was spurred on by two high-profile allegations of rape, one from former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, and the other against Attorney-General Christian Porter.
Porter has strenuously denied the historical rape accusations against him and went so far as to file for defamation against the ABC on Monday.
On Sky News, Hanson raised the spectre of false rape allegations. (Studies show that only about 5% of rapes reported to police are false allegations, while the figure overall is likely even lower, considering most rapes are never reported at all.)
“There are false allegations, there are men who have been accused of these things that didn’t, it didn’t happen,” Pauline Hanson attested, having presumably carefully studied the cases against Porter and the unnamed Liberal staffer accused of assaulting Higgins.
She continued with an anecdote about a man she believed had been falsely accused of rape, saying that these allegations can “destroy lives”. Little compassion was offered to the women whose lives may be shattered by the violating experience of sexual assault.
Hanson also criticised Higgins for not making a formal statement to police until February this year.
Higgins alleges she was raped in then-Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds‘ office in March 2019. While she met with the AFP shortly after the incident, she asked officers not to pursue an investigation in April that year, because she feared her complaint could impact her job.
But Pauline Hanson had no sympathy for that position on Sky News. “Brittany Higgins, she had the right to go and lay those charges. Take it to the courts. If you’ve got a case for assault then you take it to the courts.”
Pauline Hanson joins a number of politicians who were seemingly uninterested in yesterday’s protests, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister For Women Marise Payne.
Pauline Hanson has long been on a “pro-men” vendetta against the Family Court and women she believes make false reports of abuse.
To explain her keen interest in the issue, she used parliamentary privilege in 2019 to claim that her son’s ex-wife had made “spiteful” false allegations against him to win custody of their child.
After a protracted campaign, including leading a parliamentary inquiry, she united with the Coalition and Independent Senator Rex Patrick to abolish the Family Court in February this year.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
