Brittany Higgins will meet with Prime Minister Scott Morrison today to speak about her concerns over parliamentary culture.
Ms Higgins, a former Liberal staffer, went public in February with allegations she was sexually assaulted by a male political staffer in then-Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds' ministerial office in the early hours of March 23, 2019.
She has since pushed for cultural reform in Parliament, especially regarding how allegations of harassment and sexual assault are dealt with.
READ MORE: Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins says review 'long overdue'
Ms Higgins accepted a formal invitation from Mr Morrison last week, outlining what she wished to discuss, including reforms to the Fair Work Act in respect to staff terminations of Parliamentarians and the establishment of an Independent Complaints Body.
Ms Higgins is also calling for improved procedures for Department of Public Service (DPS) employees.
She met with Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese this morning, who said she was possessed of "extraordinary courage".
READ MORE: Former Parliament staffer Brittany Higgins announces forthcoming memoir
"But the first thing that I'd say about today's meeting was that it was an opportunity for me to listen," Mr Albanese said.
"We need to listen to women and to listen to their concerns, to listen to the experience that they've gone through, and to listen to their views about solutions."
Mr Albanese has backed Ms Higgins' calls for an independent body that people in parliament, from staffers to senators, could resort to.
"To build confidence in the system, there's a need for an independent body so that any woman or any staff member faced with the issues which Brittany was faced with, with the reported sexual assault, or people with other issues related to staffing, relating to culture in Parliament House or in parliamentary offices, are able to go forward and get independent advice," he said.
"At the moment, the way that the parliamentary services act operates is to really give no power for members of staff to be able to raise issues."
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