Brittany Higgins returns to frontline politics to fight ‘rising tide’ of misogyny

Brittany Higgins is returning to frontline politics, launching a campaign against Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and what she describes as a rising tide of “misogyny, extremism and anti-democratic movements” in Australia.

Higgins has been appointed executive director of the Vida Fund, a progressive fundraising and advocacy group established to support independent candidates and push gender equity reforms. In her first major role since leaving politics, she said the organisation would target the growing influence of the “new right”, including female One Nation voters.

Higgins also signalled she would not limit her criticism to conservative parties, arguing the Labor government had failed to move quickly enough on gender equality reforms.

The former Liberal staffer, whose allegations of rape inside Parliament House triggered a national reckoning over workplace culture and women’s safety, said conservative populist movements were attempting to import US-style political battles into Australia.

“One Nation and the new right are trying to mainstream misogyny on a scale Australians have never seen before,” Higgins said. “With [One Nation MP] Barnaby Joyce championing this US-style war on reproductive rights, it has never been more important to get organised and take action,” she said.

Her appointment marks a significant escalation in the political activism of the Vida Fund, named after Australian suffragist icon Vida Goldstein, which helped bankroll several teal-backed female candidates in 2025 and is preparing for state election campaigns and the next federal poll. According to Australian Electoral Commission returns, it donated more than $500,000 to several independent MPs including Monique Ryan, Kate Chaney, Helen Haines and the defeated Zoe Daniel.

This masthead’s Resolve Political Monitor data shows One Nation now has more female supporters than male, alongside a notable surge in backing from younger voters, higher-income earners and residents of inner-city areas. While the party’s base remains strongest among older, regional Australians, the broad-based growth in support across demographic groups underscores its expanding electoral reach and the challenge it poses to both major parties.

Higgins accused One Nation of being vulnerable on issues of violence against women.

“We recently saw One Nation panic when the Sean Black scandal hit the headlines. That tells us they know their atrocious track record on gendered violence is a liability,” she said.

Higgins rose to national prominence in 2021 after alleging she was raped inside Parliament House by her