Emma Husar ‘won’t contest next election’
LABOR MP Emma Husar cried as she said she won’t stand at the next election but a former staffer says she should leave Parliament immediately if found of wrongdoing.
National
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News.
EMBATTLED Labor MP Emma Husar couldn’t hold back tears in an interview where she spoke of her “agonising decision” to leave parliament.
An investigation into bullying and harassment complaints levelled against her by 22 former staff is still ongoing but the federal MP for Lindsay declared she would not be recontesting her seat at the next election.
“I want this over, enough is enough. It ends now, and I’m doing this on my terms,” Ms Husar told 9 News.
RENDEZVIEW: Husar stories expose hypocrisy of the left
EARLIER: Emma Husar hits back at staff allegations
MORE: Emma Husar’s tax funded trip to Bruno Mars concert
Ms Husar denied she was a bully, and told 9 News she feared her reputation would never recover.
“I categorically … deny the allegations,” she said,
“I don’t know if my reputation will ever recover.”
She suggested there was a conspiracy to remove her from parliament, and added the way she entered was seen as unconventional in the eyes of Labor traditionalists.
“I came into this job not having come through the machine. I think it was once smashed in my face essential that I’d not done my ‘Labor Party apprenticeship’,” she said.
But despite denying she swore at staff, Ms Husar did admit to one personal failure.
“I swear like a trooper … like any office workplace that’s high pressure does. But I certainly don’t swear at my staff,” she said.
Angela Hadchiti, who was the first ex-staffer of Ms Husar to speak out, said the Labor MP’s decision not to recontest her seat did not go far enough because she will still remain in Parliament.
Ms Hadchiti said if barrister John Whelan’s investigation found wrongdoing then she should leave immediately.
“I feel this is one way for her to get away from these allegations, because we were permitted to give evidence anonymously to John Whelan,” Ms Hadchiti said, according to The Australian. “That does not mean that what we said should be now discounted and forgotten.”
“She keeps using the claim that ‘I’m a single mother of three’ as part of her defence,” Ms Hadchiti said. “But I’m a single mother of three as well. I’m not earning her $200,000 and I don’t use that excuse.”
HUSAR’S REPUTATION ‘COMPLETELY SHREDDED’
Earlier today, Ms Husar unleashed on the “nameless, faceless” people who have “completely shredded” her reputation, as she announced her resignation in a statement.
She said was a “very sad day” but her reputation had been “completely shredded” and she saw no point in waiting for the investigation to conclude.
“I support the right of anyone to have their complaints heard, which is why I co-operated fully with NSW Labor’s independent assessment, and, to uphold the confidentiality of that process, maintained my silence while my reputation was completely trashed in the media,” Ms Husar said in a statement this afternoon.
“I kept quiet in the face of vicious and baseless smears and sensational clickbait headlines with no basis in fact.
“This vendetta lead to threats to my personal safety, the trolling of my children online and media parked outside my house around the clock. It has been terrifying for my kids and utterly traumatic for me.
“Once again, and for the record, I absolutely reject the malicious allegations which have been published to my great detriment.
“Given my reputation has been completely shredded by nameless, faceless people, I see no point in waiting for this report.
“This stops now. Enough is enough. I’ve spoken with Bill Shorten and let him know that I won’t be recontesting the next election.”
Ms Husar said she would continue to give her best for the community of Lindsay and would fight to clear her name “from the unbelievable mud that’s been thrown at it”.
“I will continue to advocate on behalf of the people who elected me, who rely on a fair go for all,” she said.
“In these last few difficult weeks I have been grateful for the kindness of those who know me well, my community and even complete strangers, who know that the allegations that have consumed the headlines are not a reflection of me, my character, the work I’ve done or am capable of.
“I’m proud that in my short time in Canberra, I used the platform of the national parliament to draw attention to the hundreds of thousands of women who suffer — or have suffered — family violence.
“And I’m especially proud of standing up to people like Pauline Hanson when she insulted children with autism. I did it for my son and for all the kids out there who are incredibly special members of so many families.”
Ms Husar thanked Opposition leader Bill Shorten, deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek and her Labor colleagues for their support.
In an interview with the Nine Network, Ms Husar also said she “threw up” when she heard about the allegations she had exposed herself in the office of Labor MP Jason Clare, while his son and a staffer were in the room.
“It doesn’t just allege that I did something wrong to a grown up, but there was a child in the room, and that’s absolutely the lowest part of what’s gone on here,” she said.
She also told Nine watching her “reputation be smeared and my kids trolled online” had been “incredibly tough”.
“I’ve always said my kids are resilient and they’ve rolled with being in public life and accept that I’ve been busy at times,” she said.
“But the last few weeks have really pushed them to their limits. But they’ll learn from this, watch that their mum is still strong, resilient and standing up to people.”
Ms Husar praised Mr Shorten for supporting her.
“He’s always backed me, always believed in me, and will continue to believe in me, that won’t change,” she said.
“He knows the person I am, the good that I’ve done.”
Earlier today, Angela Hadchiti, who worked for Ms Husar for six months as a political staffer, claimed she received “insensitive and brutal” treatment from her ex-boss.
The single mum of three, the first former employee of Ms Husar to speak out publicly about her experience in the federal MP for Lindsay’s office, also claims Ms Husar allowed her daughter, Elissa, to stay with her for a month without telling her.
The MP has denied the new allegations, describing them as a “ludicrous fabrication of the facts.”
Meanwhile, Mr Shorten has rejected Ms Hadchiti’s claim that she and other former staffers had been speaking to his office about their concerns for “months”.
In an interview with The Australian, Ms Hadchiti says she was “subjected to Ms Husar’s bullying, harassment and obscenities” in her six months in the office from last August to early February.
‘SHE WAS INSENSITIVE AND BRUTAL’
Angela Hadchiti, who worked for Ms Husar for six months as a political staffer, claimed she received “insensitive and brutal” treatment from her ex-boss.
The single mum of three, the first former employee of Ms Husar to speak out publicly about her experience in the federal MP for Lindsay’s office, also claims Ms Husar allowed her daughter, Elissa, to stay with her for a month without telling her.
The MP has denied the new allegations, describing them as a “ludicrous fabrication of the facts.”
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Bill Shorten has rejected Ms Hadchiti’s claim that she and other former staffers had been speaking to his office about their concerns for “months”.
In an interview with The Australian, Ms Hadchiti says she was “subjected to Ms Husar’s bullying, harassment and obscenities” in her six months in the office from last August to early February.
“She asked me on a daily basis to walk her dog and to pick up dog droppings. I saw her behaviour towards other staff. She called some ‘useless’ and said I was mentally unstable,” she said.
Ms Hadchiti, one of 22 former staffers who have lodged an official complaint against Ms Husar, has also alleged today that her ex-boss allowed her eldest daughter, Elissa, to live with her for a month and refused to tell her despite fears that her then 20-year-old daughter was missing.
The “bizarre events” started on November 11 last year, Ms Hadchiti told the publication.
Her professional relationship with Ms Husar had broken down to the extent that the MP had allegedly verbally abused her, ostracised her in the office and cut her off from Facebook and Instagram, Ms Hadchiti said.
Then her daughter, who had recently come out as gay, abruptly left home without any explanation and no contact for almost a month.
DAUGHTER LIVING WITH HUSAR
Ms Hadchiti only found out she had been living with Ms Husar “the whole time” from the electorate office manager in early December.
When the staffer confronted Ms Husar, the MP allegedly told her she was “too Catholic”, “homophobic” and “not understanding” about her daughter’s sexuality, particularly when same-sex marriage was about to become legal.
Ms Hadchiti told The Australian she had known about her daughter’s “coming out” for 18 months and that they had previously had a good relationship, although she had difficulty in coming to terms with her daughter’s sexuality.
She then claimed the situation became even more bizarre when Ms Husar invited her daughter to the office to work in her office but “ordered me not to talk to her”.
The first chance she had to speak to her daughter was in late December when Elissa visited home to give her two younger sisters Christmas gifts.
It emerged that Elissa had lived rent-free at the MP’s home but was allegedly required to perform chores such as childminding and looking after the pet dog and a rabbit.
Elissa, who returned home to live with her mother and sisters in the first week of January and remains there, told The Australian last night that she had become frightened of Ms Husar.
“It got to the point that I was afraid of her — of the retaliation I might face if I didn’t obey her,” she said.
“She (Husar) is always trying to suit her own agenda, and she made me feel like she was always right and I was wrong. She told me I had ADHD.”.
SPEAKING OUT
Ms Hadchiti revealed she had only decided to speak out yesterday after Ms Husar publicly dismissed allegations of bullying and harassment in her office as a political “stitch up” by former staffer Jeremy Anderson, his father former NSW police minister Peter Anderson and other former staff and branch members.
“There is not one staffer involved in this,” Ms Hadchiti told The Australian.
“I want to take the burden off Jeremy Anderson and his father. There are 22 of us, and we are in this together. We have been speaking to Bill Shorten’s office, to NSW Labor and to the union for months.”
Mr Shorten has rejected the claim, saying he didn’t believe it.
“I’ve made my own inquiries and none of my staff have confirmed that,” he told reporters in Sydney today.
Mr Shorten has denied knowing about the investigation into the complaints against Ms Husar before it was made public by BuzzFeed News last month.
The latest claims have emerged as an investigation continues into the complaints against Ms Husar.
Barrister John Whelan, who is conducting the independent investigation for NSW Labor, is expected to hand the party an interim report this week.
Yesterday, Ms Husar told Fairfax Media the complaints against her were a political “stitch up” by a disgruntled former employee and other Labor members.
She has also used social media to reject the allegations against her.
The MP has reportedly hired barrister Sandy Dawson SC to represent her.
When asked last night about Ms Hadchiti’s claims, Ms Husar told The Australian: “I reject completely this ludicrous fabrication of the facts.”
“If a friend comes to me in a time of crisis seeking support, I help them. I don’t turn my back on them,” she said.
“I’m not going to comment on the specifics of someone’s private life and their difficult family circumstances. I’m disappointed but not surprised that The Australian would breach someone’s right to privacy in this way.”
The publication reports Ms Hadchiti came to the newspaper of her own accord. She also gave her permission for Elissa to speak to the newspaper.
Ms Hadchiti and Ms Husar reportedly met because of her experience with domestic violence, which is a key issue the MP has campaigned on.
The Australian reports the former staffer was bashed so badly in 2014 she had a spinal fracture.
Her ex-husband was jailed for 12 months and deported to Lebanon in December after an intervention by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.
“I did go through a hard time in that office, and we (my family) went to counselling afterwards, but we’re over it,” Ms Hadchiti told the publication last night.
Read the full story in The Australian