2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame and advocate for survivors of sexual assault Brittany Higgins attend the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia February 9, 2022.
The apology by Morrison, who must hold an election by mid-May, came after he struggled last year to placate public anger amid several allegations of sexual abuse, discrimination against women and misconduct in parliament. In his address to the parliament, Morrison apologised to all who had suffered, and directly to Higgins for what happened to her.
The parliamentary apology marked a rocky start to an election year for Morrison as anti-vaccination protesters gathered outside parliament and his conservative party faced ructions over a religious freedom bill.