Opinion: Labor’s attack exposes its own record on sex crimes

Stupidly, the Premier and her deputy have unintentionally turned a spotlight on their own party’s deplorable record on sexual harassment, writes Des Houghton.

This week the Labor Party in Queensland unintentionally invited voters to revisit its shameful record of misogyny, sexual harassment, child molestation and rape.

It was by far the party’s biggest blunder since it was returned to power in last year’s state election.

Voters demanding justice for women will be reminded how Annastacia Palaszczuk, and others, were accused of betraying the sisterhood by failing to condemn some of the offenders, many from the union movement that funds the ALP.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles reopened old wounds with a verbal king-hit on Scott Morrison, accusing the Prime Minister of creating a coronavirus vaccination scare to mask sexual harassment and rape allegations in Canberra.

The Premier backed Miles and foolishly injected herself into the debate by calling for a women’s summit to push gender equality.

Now-disgraced union heavyweight Dave Hanna takes a selfie with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Palaszczuk said battling sexual harassment in the workplace was “really important”.

Yet the Labor Party does not have a clean track record in relation to serious sexual harassment cases in their own state.

Where was the Labor sisterhood’s outrage when a CFMEU protester threatened to rape children at Glencore’s Queensland coalmine in 2017?

Parliament heard the episode was caught on tape.

“I’ll attack you with a crowbar,” and “I’ll f---ing rape your kids c---,” said a unionist.

Later, a girl was labelled a “f---ing whore” on social media because her family refused to go on strike at the Oaky North mine in central Queensland.

Former Labor leader Keith Wright was jailed for child rape.

At the time, Palaszczuk parroted her usual response about intimidation being unacceptable, but she point-blank refused to admonish the unionists involved.

Her silence on that score speaks volumes in light of her posturing this week.

And let’s not forget it was the Palaszczuk Government that secretly withdrew Queensland police from a federal taskforce investigating union corruption.

In Parliament, the Opposition’s feisty Ros Bates went on the warpath.

“What have we heard from (then child safety minister) Shannon Fentiman following those threats to rape children, bash people with crowbars and physically harm others because they do not bow to their demands? Nothing! The silence is deafening,” she said.

“It seems that silence can be bought if you are a member of the Labor Party and the unions are willing to open their pockets for you.

“The minister has a duty to call out the despicable comments by the CFMEU or explain why she will not.’’

Former opposition leader Deb Frecklington told the House only “vile human beings” would threaten to rape children.

She and another former LNP leader, Campbell Newman, both said their daughters had been targeted by the unions.

Two Labor leaders have been jailed for raping children.

Former Queensland ALP leader Keith Wright was jailed for eight years in 1993 for indecent dealing and rape.

And to think he came within a few thousand votes of toppling Joh Bjelke-Petersen to claim the premiership in 1983.

At least he repented.

Former Labor leader Bill D’Arcy has shown no remorse for his crimes.

In an exclusive interview before he died, he told me: “Yes, I really blew it, man. I was so stupid. And I profoundly regret it all. I am so sorry.”

Disgraced Labor shadow minister Bill D’Arcy has shown no remorse.

In the Supreme Court in November 2000, he was convicted of one charge of rape and 17 other charges of sexual assaults on children in his care while he was a schoolteacher.

He still maintains his innocence.

In 2019 David Hanna, a former CFMEU boss, was jailed for six years for a shocking rape.

He famously once appeared with Palaszczuk in a selfie at a union rally.

Now comes an official survey showing widespread bullying and sexual harassment in the Queensland public service, with many fearful of speaking out.

It is high time for Palaszczuk and Miles to clean up their own back yard before lecturing the Federal Government about workplace harassment.

Des Houghton is a media consultant and former editor of The Courier-Mail, Sunday Mail and Sunday Sun