The Australian government is under increasing pressure over its handling of a rape allegation against one of its most senior ministers.
On 23 February, ABC News reported that Prime Minister Scott Morrison and two senators from other parties received a letter alleging a current Cabinet minister raped a girl, 16, in Sydney in 1988.
Reports claimed in February 2020 the alleged victim, who lived in Adelaide, had reported the assault to the New South Wales Police, but the investigation was delayed by Covid-19 border closures. The woman took her own life in June last year, aged 49.
The allegation became public with the government already under fire for its handling of an alleged rape of a government staffer, Brittany Higgins, in a minister’s parliamentary office in 2019.
On Monday Mr Morrison said the allegation against the minister was a matter for the police and that it would be referred to the Federal Police – who have no jurisdiction over violations of the NSW criminal code.
Mr Morrison said the minister had categorically denied the allegation. But when asked if he believed the denial, he said: “That’s a matter for the police. I’m not the police commissioner”.
The minister has not been sacked, or publicly named.
Veteran federal politics reporter Samantha Maiden, who knew the late alleged victim, told The National that the Prime Minister and his government were trying to avoid responsibility for investigating the allegation.
“The government says leave it to the police," Maiden said. "That would be fine if the woman wasn’t dead. Her allegations can’t be tested.
"They say they will refer it to the Australian Federal Police. To suggest that referring it to the AFP is some kind of solution is nonsense.
“The options are a coronial inquest in South Australia into the circumstances leading to her death, or they could go for some sort of independent judicial inquiry.
"The prime minister doesn’t seem very enthusiastic about that idea.
“They want to flick-pass this by saying, ‘This is a matter for the police’, which relies on the fact most people will think that seems OK, but the police suspended the investigation when she died.”
Maiden said it was “an extraordinary situation” in which “this woman is reaching out from the grave because she had told so many people, and left behind so many documents when she died, and these friends of hers were not prepared to let her allegations die with her”.
“When I heard her age and that she was from Adelaide, I thought ‘I must know her’.
"I rang a couple of people and found out she was someone with whom I went to school.
“She was one of the best and brightest people of that generation that came to Adelaide University.
"There was confusion amongst some of her friends about why she never hit the heights at university.
“She was a very meticulous, very intelligent, very details-oriented person. She kept a diary, and there are many friends of hers around at the time who are prepared to speak out.
"I came across seven or eight people I know who she had told. In her final years she would tell anyone who would listen.”
Maiden said the woman had checked into a centre in Melbourne for mental healthcare reasons in 2020 and on her return to Adelaide, South Australia, spent two weeks in isolation in June.
During that time, she cut her hair in the style in which she had kept it in her final two years of high school, the same style it was in a photograph taken of her with the accused rapist, and shortly after took her own life.
A mass protest has been planned for noon on 15 March, the next sitting day of Federal Parliament.
Janine Hendry, one of the March 4 Justice organisers, told The National that at least 5,000 women would circle the Parliament and turn their backs to it in a symbolic protest.
“We are also co-ordinating with groups in every capital city," Ms Hendry said.
"The protest has emerged out of a wave of anger from women at the multiple allegations of rape [from former staffer Brittany Higgins], including child rape [by the Cabinet minister], assault and harassment, and at the federal government’s woeful response.
“It’s just incredible when you look at the government’s responses. Scott Morrison is suggesting he didn’t know about an alleged rape in his workplace, but … senior ministers and at least five people in his own office knew.
"Either the prime minister was not told because they didn’t think it was important enough, or he is lying about it.
"If that is the way they view this issue we as women have every right to be really angry.
“We are asking for transparency in every parliament. We need to know what is happening in terms of equity and for an independent review of gendered violence in parliament.
"What can I do as a single mother with a 16-year-old son trying to raise him in an environment where he grows up to respect women when the leaders of the country demonstrate the utmost disrespect?”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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HAJJAN
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Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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MATCH INFO
CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
Tuesday:
Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)
Second legs:
October 23
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
MADAME%20WEB
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
Stage 4
1. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma 04:16:13
2. Gaviria (COL) UAE Team Emirates
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
General Classification:
1. Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 16:46:15
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:07
3. Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:35
4. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:40
5. Rafal Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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RESULTS
Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.
Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.
Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.
Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0
Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.
Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.
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