A senator who was dumped from the Liberal party room after being accused of sexually harassing three colleagues is alleged to have flirted with women on his official email and Instagram accounts.
Screenshots and emails published by A current issue on Monday evening shows Victorian senator David Van, 59, addressing women with terms such as 'babe', 'hon' and 'darling'.
Mr Van, who is now an independent senator who has signed deals with Labour, has consistently denied sexually harassing women, including Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Senator Amanda Stoker.
In a message to a popular online cooking influencer in 2021, shared last night, Mr Van is said to have shared his Instagram page asking for it to be shared widely with a special hashtag.
“Hey honey, here's my Senate page,” the message allegedly said. 'Appreciate it if you can push it hard to your friends… especially the photo of me in the shorts and give it the hashtag #senatorsixpack'.
Victorian Senator David Van (pictured with his partner Nerilee Rockman) has consistently denied sexually harassing women, including Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Senator Amanda Stoker
In a follow-up message to the same woman, Mr Van is said to have written: 'Hey doll, can you comment on that post of mine with the hashtag #senatorsixpack.'
In a conversation on Instagram in 2020, a woman contacted Mr. Van and told him, “You're a handsome man… Hehe, did you just have a piece of my profile?”
The senator reportedly responded, “No stalker was just trying to follow you back. Call me if you want and I'll see if I can help.'
Last June, Mr Van suddenly went from a political nobody – albeit with a powerful 'life partner' in a mining industry lawyer, Nerilee Rockman – to the center of a political storm.
If the public knew his name before, it was probably because he was accused of making growling, barking dog noises at fellow Senator Jacqui Lambie in the Senate in November 2021.
Six months ago, Ms Thorpe alleged Mr Van sexually assaulted her in parliament. This was quickly followed by Ms Stoker claiming Mr Van had groped her and accusing him of 'squeezing my bottom twice'.
He denied Ms Thorpe's allegations and she later retracted the comments before making another claim in Parliament that she had been sexually assaulted, without saying who allegedly did it.
In a message to an influencer in 2021, Mr Van (pictured) reportedly said: 'Hey honey, here's my Senate page. Appreciate it if you can push it hard to your friends… especially the photo of me in the shorts and give it the hashtag #senatorsixpack'
Using parliamentary privilege, Ms Thorpe claimed she was 'aggressively followed, propositioned and inappropriately touched' by an unnamed man.
“I was afraid to walk out of the office, so I opened the doors a little and checked that the coast was clear before I stepped out,” she told the Senate.
“It was to the extent that I had to be accompanied by someone when I walked into this building.”
After Ms Thorpe's second statement and allegations that he groped another senator, Dutton dumped Mr Van from the Liberal Party chamber and he has been on the Senate crossbench ever since.
Ms Stoker issued a statement saying: “In November 2020, Senator Van inappropriately touched me during an informal social gathering in a parliamentary office.
'He did this by squeezing my buttocks twice. By its nature and by its repetition it was not accidental. That action was not appropriate. It was unprofessional and uninvited.”
Mr Van said he could not remember having such a meeting with Ms Stoker.
'I can confirm that I had a very friendly and open discussion about this with my colleague several years ago and made it clear that I had no recollection of any such event, and I can confirm that this is not something I have ever would do,” he said. the time.
Ms Stoker featured prominently on Mr Van's Instagram account with a photo and video of her interviewing him on Sky News.
During the interview, he told Ms. Stoker that it was “a shame you weren't here with us in the Senate.
“You know I enjoy being on the Legal and Fraud Committee with you.” This was a reference to the Senate Reference Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
David Van (pictured right) spoke about his partner Nerilee Rockman (left) in his first speech to parliament
Announcing his decision, Mr Dutton said Mr Van's removal from the banquet hall did not imply any judgment on “the guilt or innocence of any individual”.
But no longer under the opposition whip, the senator has become popular with Labor as it tries to get votes on controversial bills.
Last week, Mr Van chaired a media conference on the Murray-Darling river system with Labor Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.
An investigation into Mr Van over the parliamentary allegations of sexual harassment against him is still ongoing.
Ny Breaking Australia has contacted Mr Van, who has deleted his Instagram page, for comment.