Unwanted ‘milestone’: Confidence in Federal Government plummets in wake of sex assault, harassment scandals

Confidence in the Federal Government has taken a dive following the sexual assault and harassment scandals plaguing parliament house in recent months, a new survey has found. Figures collected by an Australian National University survey of more than 3,000 people showed a “significant decline” in Australians’ satisfaction with the direction of the country between January and April 2021 – from 78.9 per cent to 75.7 per cent. Confidence in the Federal Government in Canberra took an even greater hit, with just 45.4 per cent of respondents saying they had a great deal of confidence in the Government in April - down from 54.3 per cent in January. It follows Brittany Higgins’ allegations that she was raped in parliament in 2019, accusing the Government of treating her like a “political problem” after the incident. Months later, revelations surfaced that Coalition staffers had performed lewd acts in parliament, with one even performing a “solo sex act” on a female MP’s desk. Historical rape allegations have also been levelled against WA MP Christian Porter - something the former Attorney-General has strongly denied. The ANU report found a notable decline in the number of respondents who said they would vote for the Coalition between January and April 2021 – from 40.3 per cent to 37.3 per cent. Report co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said the fact that less than half of Australian adults were confident in the Federal Government was “a milestone”. “Confidence in government is a key indicator of people’s view on institutions in Australia, and for the first time since the pandemic commenced, the majority of Australians no longer have confidence in the government,” he said. The declines in confidence were found to be closely linked closely to views on sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. More than three-quarters of Australians, or 76.8 per cent, thought “men getting away with committing sexual harassment or assault” was a major problem. And 71.6 per cent said women “not being believed when they claim that they have experienced sexual harassment or assault” was also an issue of concern. Comparatively, 41.9 per cent said “women claiming they have experienced sexual harassment or assault when it hasn’t actually occurred” was a major problem.