Emma Husar skips vote calling out Morrison for ‘abandoning’ women
Embattled Labor MP Emma Husar deliberately skipped a vote on a Labor push to call out the Morrison government for “abandoning” women.
Embattled Labor MP Emma Husar deliberately skipped a vote on a Labor push to call out the Morrison government for “abandoning” women.
Ms Husar attacked the NSW ALP for isolating her amid an investigation into claims she bullied her staff and could not support the vote on that principle.
“The NSW ALP are not without fault on the same things they claim to be calling out,” she said.
“On principles and my values I missed the vote given the treatment, isolation and lack of support shown to me.”
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek moved the motion to reprimand Prime Minister Scott Morrison for “only ever protecting the men in his party and abandoning its women”.
It also called on parliament to note that Mr Morrison was “tearing the government apart” to protect Craig Kelly but “did nothing to protect” female Liberal MPs Jane Prentice, Ann Sudmalis, Lucy Gichuhi or Julia Banks.
The Lindsay MP revealed last week that she wanted to run again at the next federal election and had reached out to Labor leader Bill Shorten for support.
Ms Husar said she would consider running as an independent if Labor did not endorse her.
A NSW Labor spokesman confirmed that it would begin the nominating process for selecting a candidate for Lindsay when the NSW Labor Administrative Committee next meets on Friday.
“The Member for Lindsay announced on 8 August this year that she did not intend to contest the next federal election for Labor. The Party Officers immediately met to accept her public withdrawal as Labor’s Candidate,” the spokesman said.
Ms Husar had said she would not seek re-election during an internal investigation into allegations she bullied staff and made them do tasks including picking up dog poo.
The damning results of the investigation upheld complaints of mismanagement.
In a statement from NSW Labor, which commissioned the investigation after complaints, the party said there was “no basis for Ms Husar to resign from the Australian parliament”.
It comes as reports today reveal four former staff members spoke out in a letter to NSW Labor boss Kaila Murnain detailing their treatment and the impact it had on their careers.