Husar clings to political career ahead of Friday verdict
AS LABOR MP Emma Husar clings to her political career, it can be revealed the NSW ALP office has ordered its legal team to deliver its verdict into claims of bullying, misuse of entitlements and sexualised behaviour by Friday.
NSW
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AS LABOR MP Emma Husar clings to her political career, the NSW ALP office has ordered its legal team to deliver its verdict into claims of staff bullying and harassment by Friday.
Should the report find the allegations proven, Labor procedure requires two special meetings of the candidate review and administrative committees before Ms Husar can be disendorsed.
Despite all signs her career is over, the embattled MP was yesterday vowing to fight to the end.
It would be a sad end for a woman who just two years ago was considered the dream candidate — a well-presented, working, single mum of three with heartfelt passions for disability rights and domestic violence awareness.
The first warning signs that something was terribly wrong in her Lindsay electorate office came long before the explosive and bizarre allegations of staff having to pick up dog poo, misusing entitlements and “flashing” a fellow MP — the latter two Husar categorically denies.
Ms Husar, the “dream” battler Labor candidate who would also boost the female MP quota, had just pulled off a win in Lindsay in the 2016 federal election after reluctantly agreeing to a party office request to run for the seat.
The former adviser to Labor MP Ed Husic had wanted to try again for the state seat of Penrith, but former ALP general secretary Jamie Clements had convinced her to go federal.
Ms Husar rocketed to national fame with a maiden speech claiming she had been a victim domestic violence “both as a child and as an adult”.
Among the estimated 20 staff she hired over the two years — most casuals and part-timers working one day a week — were domestic violence campaigners like herself.
But behind the scenes, the dysfunction had begun.
A party source revealed last week how word had been circulating not long after her win at “issues” in the office.
“We just thought she was struggling because she was a single mum with three kids,” the source said. “We had no idea how toxic it was. We had no idea how bad it had gotten.”
On the recommendations of former NSW premier Nathan Rees and respected Labor MP Jason Clare, the party installed a troubleshooter, a former senior adviser who had worked in leaders’ offices.
“He was a gun, a bit of star,” the source said.
“Nobody had heard from him in a while, but we gave him the job.”
Several months later, the adviser would become the chief instigator of the investigation into Husar, rallying other disgruntled staff to follow suit.
The first contact the adviser made with ALP head office was over “issues” with Ms Husar’s campaign account.
NSW Labor state organiser David Dobson and NSW Labor governance director Julie Sibraa took an audit of Ms Husar’s office, with the issue later resolved.
Soon after, the adviser took two months of sick leave, contacting the party office again regarding concerns with Ms Husar. A party source said the adviser was concerned Ms Husar was about to sack him.
Again, the approach was treated as just “a staffer and an MP not getting on”.
The ALP contacted Ms Husar to keep the adviser on, but she sacked him anyway.
The party told the adviser to lodge a complaint with the Department of Finance, and also put him touch with the United Services Union to initiate an unfair dismissal case.
The department washed its hands of the matter, including a request by the party office to provide counselling to Ms Husar’s staff, while the Fair Work Commission noted his employment was under the required six-month period to launch a case.
With the adviser unhappy at the process, the party office initiated an investigation, appointing barrister Jack Whelan in December. He began the investigation in February after the summer break.
At first it was just one complainant, but then other staff came forward, revealing deep-seated tensions in the office that were exacerbated by Ms Husar’s family dramas, including a police complaint that was later discontinued.
As detailed in a leaked letter by Mr Whelan to Ms Husar, the allegations included that Ms Husar “flashed” Mr Clare while visiting his office with an adviser, rubbed her body against a staff member and skipped meetings to “get a spray tan or a wax”, all of which Ms Husar has described as “100 per cent false”.
At the same time as her staff were coming forward, Ms Husar posted on Facebook a picture of a witch with the quote: “Some days, you just have to put on the hat to remind them who they are dealing with.” She added: “Hold my broomstick.”
The story exploded into the public domain two weeks ago with a story on Buzzfeed, which included Ms Husar’s denials.
Labor leader Bill Shorten has to date denied being aware of the turmoil in Ms Husar’s office until approached by Buzzfeed last month.
Ms Husar, who is on personal leave, last week apologised for having her son’s dog in her office, while also describing the ongoing allegations being levelled against her as “a pile-on”.
Irrespective of the findings — Mr Whelan is understood to have some 200,000 words of allegations from more than 20 people — Labor sources concede it is unlikely Ms Husar will remain the member for Lindsay.
“People have gone for less,” a Labor source said.