Sacked Cricket Australia staffer Angela Williamson breaks down in TV interview

OVERWHELMED, emotional, buoyed by support … but still sacked. The scrutiny is taking its toll on a woman sacked for tweeting about abortion.

THE Cricket Australia (CA) staffer fired after she tweeted about abortion has fought tears in a television interview, saying she feels vulnerable, but overwhelmed by the support she’s received since her sacking went public.

The public debate took its toll on an otherwise composed Angela Williamson as she spoke on ABC TV’s 7.30 on Tuesday night about being fired for posting a series of tweets pushing for abortion reform in Tasmania.

She fought back tears when asked by Leigh Sales how she felt about the public reaction her story had sparked.

“It’s a bit tough, a bit emotional, but I’ve had weeks sitting at home on my couch trying to understand what happened and wondering if … wondering if I was a bad person?” Ms Williamson said, swallowing down tears as they surfaced.

“It’s just been overwhelming, a bit emotional.

“Apologies, but it’s … I didn’t think it would resonate this much with people, and I certainly didn’t think that, Tasmanians, Australians, and people all over the world were ready and had an appetite and really, really felt that that was such an important issue.

“I knew I did because of my personal experience, but it’s been really, really great to have so many people support me.”

Sales gently apologised for upsetting her with the question.

Ms Williamson’s dismissal by CA for criticising Tasmania’s abortion services on social media says she spoke up to give a voice to the voiceless, as calls grow for an investigation into the state government’s role in her dismissal.

I’ve had weeks sitting at home on my couch trying to understand what happened and wondering if … wondering if I was a bad person,” Williamson said, Picture: Luke Bowden

CA has been roundly criticised for its actions since news of Ms Williamson’s sacking surfaced.

In January, Tasmania closed its only abortion clinic, meaning women had to travel interstate to have a termination. When Ms Williamson became one of those women, travelling to Victoria to have a pregnancy terminated at her own expense, she criticised the Tasmanian state government’s lack of abortion services on Twitter.

In June, she tweeted that the government’s rejection of a motion to re-establish abortion services in the state through public hospitals was “most irresponsible … gutless and reckless’’.

In an tweet earlier in the year she’d described Tasmania’s abortion situation as a “disgrace”.

On June 29, she was dismissed by CA, who cited her “offensive comments” and “disparaging tone”.

CA said her posts had “insulted” the Tasmanian government and made her position as a government relations manager “untenable”.

‘I DON’T SEE HOW THAT’S CONNECTED TO CRICKET’

Speaking with Today’s Sylvia Jeffreys on Wednesday morning, Ms Williamson said she felt “quite vulnerable” since going public with her story.

“I am a little overwhelmed … telling such a personal and horrific story and losing my job, there are so many complexities to this,” she said.

“They thought that I had compromised the ability for delivering my role as a government relations and infrastructure manager down here in Australia.

“I just don’t see the connection between me having a termination, me telling my story with my name withheld, and then my tweets — which were very much about timeliness and needing to deal with this situation quicker than the government had, as well as the language they were using around such a sensitive issue — I don’t see how that’s connected to cricket.”

Ms Williamson is taking CA to the Fair Work Commission for unfair dismissal.

She said she was also the target of cyber trolling by a senior Liberal government staffer, who sent screenshots of her comments to CA, in what she believes was an attempt to have her sacked.

Ms Williamson is taking CA to the Fair Work Commission for unfair dismissal. Picture: Channel 10

She lobbied a senior Tasmanian government official in June about abortion services, and approached them again weeks later after learning CA was unhappy with her tweets. She believes personal information she gave anonymously to the Tasmanian government was leaked back to her employer.

The Tasmanian government has denied it had any role in her sacking.

State Health Minister Michael Ferguson flatly denied the government disclosed Ms Williamson’s private information, something echoed by Premier Will Hodgman.

“No one in my government, me nor Minister Ferguson, have ever sought to influence the employment decisions of Cricket Tasmania or Cricket Australia in with respect to Ms Williamson any way whatsoever,” he said.

Federal Opposition leader Bill Shorten wants the sacking investigated, saying Ms Williamson’s experience demonstrates the need for a national anti-corruption commission.

Originally published as Sacked Cricket Australia staffer Angela Williamson breaks down in TV interview