Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations speak to basic questions of accountability in politics

At the political heart of the harrowing personal story of a young woman allegedly being raped on the couch of a minister’s office in Parliament House is the idea that, beyond the assault itself, the incident may have been covered up, and the young woman made to feel a political liability.

This week’s revelation about the story of the young Coalition staffer Brittany Higgins is spoken of as one which reflects an appalling workplace culture for women in Canberra’s Parliament House.

But it also speaks to the more basic questions of the culture of accountability in politics, and of competent management.

A lot of the attention in the Parliament has been directed at probing what the Prime Minister, or his office, knew of this.

He has adamantly…