Female Liberal MPs confirm bullying tactics used during leadership spill

MINISTER for Women Kelly O’Dwyer says MPs were intimidated during the leadership spill as a female Liberal Senator threatens to name her bullies.

MINISTER for Women Kelly O’Dwyer says she has spoken to both male and female MPs in the wake of the leadership spill and says it is clear they were subjected to intimidation and bullying.

Ms O’Dwyer told ABC’s 7.30 such behaviour was unacceptable despite Parliament being a “robust place”.

“It is clear to me that people were subject to threats and intimidation and bullying,” Ms O’Dwyer, the member for the Victorian seat of Higgins, said.

Kelly O'Dwyer says Parliament can be a “robust place”.

Her comments follow Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi’s threat to use parliamentary privilege to name those inside the Liberal Party she claims have bullied her.

“I certainly don’t think at any level we can accept intimidation or bullying in any workplace and that includes the Australian Parliament,” Ms O’Dwyer told 7.30.

Ms O’Dwyer said Parliament could be a “pretty robust place” when it came to policy debates, and argued that was acceptable.

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Kelly O'Dwyer with former PM Malcolm Turnbull and Julia Banks, who resigned after claiming she had been subjected to bullying.

“I know from my discussions with the Prime Minister, he is going to make it very clear in the party room on Tuesday that he has no truck with bullying.

“He will set the standard and bullying is certainly not something that he will accept.”

Ms O’Dwyer said when people crossed the line, it should not be tolerated.

In an earlier interview with Radio National, Senator Gichuhi said she had decided to speak out against bullying and intimidation.

Liberal Senator Lucy Gichuhi said ministers and senators were “in tears”.

Senator Gichuhi said she had witnessed other MPs being bullied during the leadership spill.

“Absolutely, I had senators and ministers in tears, that’s how bad it was. One of my colleagues was in tears the whole day,” she said.

But Senator Gichuhi rejected claims that it was just part of politics.

Liberal Senator Lucy Gichuhi says she will name her bullies. Picture: Gary Ramage

“Absolutely not, I’m talking about senators and ministers who were in tears because they were at the crossroads where they could not choose, especially the ones from Victoria went through a very, very rough time because they were holding a carrot … like this is your preselection — ‘hey you do this, we do that’,” she said.

“I will detail my experience not only with the PM’s spill, because this is a culture, this is a systematic kind of issue,” she said.

“I will say from when I joined the Liberal Party, from when I joined politics … and how, what, where, I think, would be construed or would fit the definition of bullying.”

Originally published as Female Liberal MPs confirm bullying tactics used during leadership spill