A mystery dossier containing allegations of rape against a senior Australian cabinet minister has been sent to Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The document includes a statement from a woman who claimed she was raped at a Sydney event in 1988 when she was 16 years old. The woman died by suicide last year after withdrawing her complaint to police.
The prime minister confirmed he received the anonymous letter on Wednesday evening, which included a statement the alleged victim had prepared for her lawyers in 2019. Mr Morrison said he did not read the letter but forwarded it to the Australian Federal Police commissioner. He insisted the matter was for police and declined to take action against the minister.
The woman reported the allegation to New South Wales Police in February 2020. Officers planned to take her statement the following month but postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In June, she withdrew her allegation and died by suicide the next day, aged 49. The investigation was subsequently suspended.
According to reports, the woman had bipolar disorder and had been treated in a psychiatric hospital months before her death. Friends described her as 'beautiful and clever' but 'consumed with trauma'. The identity of the cabinet minister is known among media and politicians but cannot be disclosed for legal reasons.
The anonymous sender said they were motivated to write the letter after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins went public with her own rape allegation. The sender demanded an inquiry, warning of damage to public perceptions of justice if nothing was done. Under NSW law, a rape charge can only be laid if there is a living complainant, so the minister cannot face court.
