[2] Protests occurred in 40 cities in Australia; organisers estimated 110,000 people were in attendance, including the federal opposition leader as well as other politicians from the major political parties.
[3] The protests were organised following the perceived lack of response by the Australian federal government to the reporting that a political staffer, Brittany Higgins, was allegedly raped in Australia's parliament house in Canberra,[1] and that historical allegations of rape were made against the country's Attorney General, Christian Porter during his youth.
[4][5] The protest organisers also stated that an important factor inspiring the event was the public disclosures and testimonies of harassment and assault from former schoolgirls that were collected by activist Chanel Contos who had been campaigning for schools to improve their instruction concerning sexual consent.
[6] The protest was initially organised by Janine Hendry, an academic, designer and entrepreneur based in Canberra.
The report was the product of a 18-month national inquiry by the commission, and it examined the issue of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces.