Luke Foley challenges David Elliott over drunken harassment claims
NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has vehemently denied allegations that he drunkenly harassed an ABC reporter and challenged his accuser, Corrections Minister David Elliott, to “come out of the coward’s castle”.
NSW
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NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has vehemently denied allegations that he drunkenly harassed an ABC reporter and challenged his accuser to “come out of the coward’s castle”.
It comes as his colleague, the Opposition spokeswoman for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault Jenny Aitchison, said Labor’s head office could not find any record of a complaint.
Corrections Minister David Elliott last week launched a sensational attack on Mr Foley under parliamentary privilege, telling the chamber he’d “harassed an ABC journalist” after having “a little bit too much to drink at a party”.
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Mr Foley this morning rejected the accusation again and dared Mr Elliott to “walk 10 metres outside” parliament, adding: “If he said that again I’d sue him”.
“I’ve spoken about this – there’s never been a complaint,” he said.
“Mr Elliott uses the coward’s castle to throw mud. I think it’s a sign of a minister in a government that’s run out of positive plans for the state so he’s reaching for such a desperate smear.”
Mr Foley said it was “inappropriate” to “misuse parliamentary privilege to smear people without a skerrick of evidence”.
“I don’t want a race to the bottom in the parliament – there’s three more sitting weeks. I do not want a race to the bottom – I do not think it’s proper or appropriate to smear people in the coward’s castle,” he said.
The Daily Telegraph previously revealed various iterations of the rumour – which Mr Elliott did not table any evidence of – have circulated state parliament for months with senior Labor figures aware of the details of the story.
They include claims that the incident occurred at Martin Place Bar after the press gallery Christmas Party in 2016.
Ms Aitchison said she had checked with Labor head office regarding allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Mr Foley and “to my understanding, there has been no complaint raised”.
“For a minister to hear something and then put it in the coward’s castle, to smear the reputation of someone like Luke Foley who has been an advocate for women, for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout his time in parliament is an absolute disgrace and the minister should be ashamed of himself,” she said.
“This is not the appropriate forum to be raising these allegations and he has actually done damage to people in the MeToo movement.
“Go outside, say it outside parliament and it can then go to court - Luke can sue, whatever. But do not use a forum where it is just not able to have any proper scrutiny on it – that is just wrong.”