SYDNEY: Thousands protested in Australia's Perth on Sunday, kicking off a nationwide campaign for gender equality as anger swells over rape accusations that have rocked the country's halls of power.

The Western Australian city launched the #March4Justice with a packed rally where people chanted "enough is enough" and held up placards demanding action to address sexual violence against women, local media reported.

More than 40 protests will be held across the country Monday, including outside Parliament House in Canberra, where the government has been roiled by sexual assault accusations in recent weeks. Former government staffer Brittany Higgins publicly came forward last month to allege she had been raped by a colleague in a minister's office weeks before the 2019 election and then treated like a "political problem" when she told her bosses.

Attorney-General Christian Porter, who is from Perth, was then accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in 1988 when they were both students.

He denies the allegations, which she took to police before her death last year, and the investigation has been closed. Growing public outrage at the cases, and a perceived failure by the government to address them, has prompted many to hit the streets calling for justice.