Australian senator claims parliament assault, says not a ‘safe place’ for women

SYDNEY (AFP): An Australian lawmaker on Thursday detailed allegations that she had been sexually “assaulted” in parliament, stating the building was “not a safe place” for women to work.

In a tearful Senate address, independent Lidia Thorpe said she had been subjected to “sexual comments”, cornered in a stairwell, “inappropriately touched” and “propositioned” by “powerful men”.

Thorpe had earlier accused a fellow senator of “sexually assaulting” her, before being forced to withdraw the remark under threat of parliamentary sanction.

Thorpe has now restated the core of her allegations against conservative David Van, who has strenuously denied the claims.

Van said he was “shattered and battered” by the allegations, telling local media they were “utterly untrue.”

Van’s Liberal Party has, suspended him over the claims.

While the allegations were protected from Australia’s severe defamation laws, Thorpe said that Van had engaged lawyers in the matter and she had to restate her case to navigate parliamentary rules.

Saying that “sexual assault” meant different things to different people, Thorpe described her experiences in the crucible of Australian democracy.

“What I experienced was being followed, aggressively propositioned and inappropriately touched,” she said.

“I was afraid to walk out of the office door. I would open the door slightly and check the coast was clear before stepping out,” she told lawmakers.

“It was to the degree that I had to be accompanied by someone whenever I walked inside this building,” she added.

“I know there are others that have experienced similar things and have not come forward in the interests of their careers.”

– ‘Sexist culture’ –

Since 2021, Australian politics has been roiled by high-profile allegations of assault and harassment inside parliament.

At that time former political aide Brittany Higgins alleged that a fellow conservative staffer had raped her in a cabinet minister’s parliamentary office after heavy drinking in March 2019.

Five separate investigations followed, collectively delivering a scathing indictment on the frequently sexist nature of Australian politics.

A 2021 government-backed inquiry found that sexual harassment and bullying were widespread in Australia’s parliament, affecting both lawmakers and staff.

One in three people working in parliament at the time said they “have experienced some form of sexual harassment while working there”.

That included 63 percent of the country’s female parliamentarians.