Queensland politician Brittany Lauga has claimed she was given drugs and sexually assaulted in Yeppoon on April 27 (Saturday).
Lauga reached out to the police early on April 28 (Sunday) and an investigation is underway, she said in an instagram post.
“During the early hours of Sunday, I went to the Yeppoon police station, and hospital after someone drugged me and sexually assaulted me. Tests at the hospital showed drugs in my body that I did not take. This drugs impacted me significanty on me. The police investigation is going on.”
Lauga said ever since the incident, other women from Yeppoon, a costal town around 35km northeast of Rockhampton, have reached out, indicating they might have also been drugged on the same night.
Meanwhile, a purported video of the assault on Lauga also started circulating on the internet. Lauga became aware of it shortly after she reported the assault to the police, The Guardian reported.
“This could happen to anyone, and tragically it does happen to many of us,” Lauga wrote in her post. “Many women reached out to me , sharing similar experiences in out town, its unacceptable. Everyone should feel safe socializing in our community without fear of being drugged or assaulted,” she added
Requesting privacy, Lauga expressed her need for time to heal both physically and emotionally. “If you have any information that could help the investigation, please share it with the police,” she said.
Queensland Police have started a probe into a sexual assault allegation, The Guardian reported.
Lauga, 37, originally a town planner, has been in the parliament for nearly ten years. She was first elected to represent the seat to Keppel in 2015 and currently, serves as the Assistant Minister for Health and Regional Health Infrastructure.