Blog

A Member of Parliament (MP) in Australia has alleged that she was drugged and sexually assaulted in the country’s central Queensland town of Yeppoon last weekend.

In a post on Facebook, Labour MP Brittany Lauga, 37, said that several other women also contacted her, who might have also been drugged in the coastal town of Yeppoon, on the same night.

“In the early hours of Sunday morning, I went to the Yeppoon police station and Yeppoon hospital, after being drugged and sexually assaulted. Tests at the hospital confirmed the presence of drugs in my body which I did not take. This substance impacted me significantly. A police investigation is underway,” Lauga said in a long post on Facebook.

“This could have happened to anyone and tragically, it does happen to many of us,” Lauga said.

“I have had multiple women contact me who have experienced the same thing in our town. It’s not ok. We should be able to enjoy socialising in our town without the risk of being drugged or assaulted,” she added.

According to The Guardian, a purported video of the alleged assault of Lauga, filmed from across the street, was also making rounds on social media. She was alerted to its existence in the hours after she reported the assault to police.

In the Facebook post, Lauga requested people respect her privacy and added that she would take “time to physically and emotionally heal” after the incident.

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me in support. I truly value your thoughtful messages, gestures and kindness.”

“If you have any information that may assist the investigation, please tell the police,” she said in the Facebook post.

According to the news portal, the Queensland police have launched an investigation into the allegation of sexual assault by the Labor Party MP.

“Investigations into this matter are ongoing,” Queensland’s premier, Steven Miles, said the government was supporting Lauga.

“No one should have to go through what Brittany is going through,” he said.

“My sole focus is on Brittany and her wellbeing. I’ve told Brittany that we’re here to support her, whatever she needs,” Miles said while speaking on the case, as per The Guardian report.