It was just after 3 p.m. and Question Time in the Senate had just ended — again dominated by the fallout from the Brittany Higgins text leaks — when a series of extraordinary events unfolded leading to another political scandal.
Lidia Thorpe did not go to work on Wednesday with the intention of accusing Victorian Liberal Senator David Van of sexually assaulting her.
She believed her allegations, dating back to the months after she entered parliament in 2020, had been well handled by the Liberal Party, and she felt no need to take the matter further.
However, a liberal party has decided to appoint Mr. Van giving a speech about the handling of Ms Higgins’ allegations that she had been sexually assaulted at Parliament House in 2019 led her to erupt.
Senator Thorpe, a former pro-independence rookie, remained on the Senate floor after Question Time on Tuesday to make a statement on the Indigenous vote to the House of Representatives.
She listened in as Labour’s Jana Stewart spoke, lamenting recent questions from Liberal senators and defending her embattled colleague, Katy Gallagher.
Senator Stewart said, “Senator Katy Gallagher is an absolute pioneer and staunch advocate for women, and I am incredibly proud to sit in this room with a woman of her caliber.
“It sure is easy to forget in this place how powerful words are when used so irresponsibly by the opposing side. They are used without any concern for anyone outside this place. We have a responsibility here to be careful.”
Peter Dutton evicted Senator David Van from the Liberal banquet hall after a second woman came forward with allegations against him
After her two-minute time window expired, Victorian Liberal Senator Van stood up.
He said, “I thank my friend Senator Stewart for her contribution, but it is very clear that she was not in the last House, because the behavior…”
Mrs. Stewart interrupted and warned, “don’t belittle me.”
Mr Van described Labor’s behavior over the past year as ‘disgraceful’ and criticized ‘the rubbish thrown from that side at Senators Cash and Reynolds’.
He told Ms Stewart that her ‘words were quite strong’ but were ‘made a mockery’ by Labor’s behavior in the room.
Mrs. Thorpe sat quietly as the exchange took place. Only when Mr. Van spoke again did the situation boil over.
He said: ‘As parliamentarians we need to focus on setting the standard for all Australians and in all aspects of life. Then when Sexual Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins handed over…”
Mrs. Thorpe burst out, “Coming from you, you got away with a lot in that time. We all know what you were doing!’
“I can’t believe they tricked you into making this speech,” she continued, before calling Mr. Van a “perpetrator.”
Most of the altercation was not on the official transcript.
Mrs. Thorpe was told to be quiet and Mr. Van continued his speech.
Initially treating it as business as usual, he continued with his speech criticizing the appearance that ‘nothing has been learned’ from Ms Jenkins’ Set the Standard report and ‘that we are in the same place we were two years ago, under the previous Liberal government.
Mrs. Thorpe persisted. “Why did you have to move your office away from me?” she yelled before standing up to make a point of order.
“I just want to say that I feel very uncomfortable when a perpetrator talks about violence,” she said.
She was asked to withdraw, but refused.
“I can’t because this person harassed me, sexually assaulted me and the prime minister had to remove him from office. For him to talk about it today is an absolute disgrace to the whole party,” she said.
Mr Van reacted immediately and flatly denied the allegations – which had been made under parliamentary privilege.
“I flatly reject that disgusting statement. It’s just a lie and I reject it. Sorry; I retract the word “lie.” It’s just not true.’
Again he asked to continue. Mrs. Thorpe excused herself from the room. She was joined outside by Mrs. Stewart.
Clearly upset, Mr. Van continued with his pre-planned speech. “Transparency, honesty and integrity are the most important factors for a functioning democracy,” he said.
“The people must be able to trust that their elected representatives are working to their advantage. It’s time to bring integrity back to this building.”
The incident was reported to the Senate President and Ms Thorpe returned to deliver her scheduled speech on Aboriginal sovereignty in relation to the Voice to Parliament.
There was a brief interaction between Mr Van and fellow Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham – who witnessed the chaotic scenes along with Secretary of State Penny Wong – after which the duo left the room.
At that point, the political bomb was well and truly detonated.
Why Senator Thorpe Withdrew Allegations in Parliament
Hours later, after Mr Van’s lawyers sent a letter to Ms Thorpe and issued a public statement denying her allegations, she returned to the Senate.
Mrs. Thorpe said, “Earlier today I made some comments regarding another senator.
‘In compliance with the Rules of Procedure of Parliamentary Rules, I withdraw those comments. I will make a statement on the matter tomorrow for the information of the Senate.”
Senate rules state that a senator cannot speak about someone’s character, only about things they have said.
As such, Mrs. Thorpe had withdrawn her allegations made directly against Mr. Van. On Thursday, she instead went out to share her “experience of parliament in general” since she was first elected.
Ms Thorpe gave a tearful speech doubling down on her allegations, saying that when she started in the Senate in 2020, parliament was ‘not a safe place’ for women.
‘You are often alone in long corridors, without windows, in hidden stairwells where there are no cameras.’
Mrs Thorpe claimed she was introduced ‘by powerful men and approached in the stairwell’. She did not name the alleged perpetrator.
She said there are “different views on what constitutes assault” and that when she made her complaint to the then government – the Coalition – “it was recognized as such”.
“I was afraid to walk out the office door. I’d open it up a bit and make sure the coast was clear before stepping out,” she said. “I had to be accompanied by someone – that’s how the Greens supported me and I’m grateful for that.”
Ms Thorpe told the Senate she was confident then Prime Minister Scott Morrison had been notified. He said in a statement Wednesday that he cannot recall if this was the case.
“I was convinced that the government believed me … my confidence in the Liberal Party was not the right decision,” said Ms Thorpe.
“Until yesterday I thought they were taking the matter seriously.”
Ms Thorpe said ‘silence is violence’ and said she had to speak out on Wednesday when Mr Van ‘had the courage to stand up in parliament’ to address the handling of Ms Higgins’ complaint in parliament this week.
She will not take legal action or go to the police, but has sworn’continue to speak out against the abuse and harassment taking place in this building.”
‘That’s my choice. I want to focus on making this place safe for everyone,” she added.
And at the moment it is not a safe place for women and I call on the government to immediately increase the number of security guards in the building and cameras in the corridors and to consult women who work here about what measures can and should be taken. . taken.’
Lidia Thorpe has doubled down on her allegations of being sexually assaulted under parliamentary privilege, claiming she was ‘aggressively followed, presented and touched inappropriately’ – but insisted she would not press charges
The fallout
Mr Van maintains his innocence.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton immediately took steps to remove Mr Van from the Liberal party chamber and has since called for him to resign completely.
Prior to making that decision, Mr Dutton spoke to former Liberal National Senator Amanda Stoker, who alleged that Mr Van had behaved inappropriately towards her in November 2020.
He has since confirmed that there are more allegations than Ms Stoker and Ms Thorpe.
“I think it’s in everyone’s best interest for him to resign from parliament,” Dutton told 2GB’s Ray Hadley.
“And I hope he can do that as soon as possible and get the help he needs and I think that would be an appropriate next step.”
Asked on Friday if he was aware of more allegations against the now-crossbench senator, Mr. Dutton said: “Yes.”
“I’ve made another allegation to Senator Van, but I’m not going to comment further on those matters,” he told the Today Show.
“I made a decision yesterday based on all the information available to me…that is a decision I have absolutely no regrets about.
“I believe it is in the best interest of the Liberal Party and that is what I have acted upon and I do not want Senator Van sitting in our party room. I made that clear.’
Former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker issued a statement Thursday night claiming the Victorian senator had “inappropriately touched” her “at an informal social gathering in a parliamentary office” in November 2020
Mr Dutton said the alleged behavior was unacceptable.
“I would not tolerate the thought of assaulting any woman in the workplace,” he said.
“It’s been a problem in the press gallery, it’s been a problem in the House of Parliament and of course… I have referred the cases to that independent authority on the shop floor for investigation.”
Mr Van released a statement on Friday stating that his ‘good reputation’ had been ‘deliberately harassed without due process or accountability’.
“I am completely shaken by the events of the past few days,” he said.
“I will cooperate fully with any process Mr. Dutton proposes to settle these matters as quickly and fairly as possible.”