Luke Foley denies drunkenly harassing ABC journalist at party
SENIOR Labor figures have been aware for months of persistent rumours that Opposition Leader Luke Foley drunkenly harassed an ABC reporter. Mr Foley denied the incident which is claimed to have taken place at a Christmas party in Sydney’s CBD.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SENIOR Labor figures have been aware for months of persistent rumours that Opposition Leader Luke Foley drunkenly harassed an ABC reporter.
In a sensational personal attack under parliamentary privilege, Corrections Minister David Elliott put the allegations on the record yesterday, unleashing on Mr Foley and telling the chamber he’d “harassed an ABC journalist” after having “a little bit too much to drink at a party”.
Various iterations of this rumour — which Mr Elliott did not table any evidence of — have circulated state parliament for months, with Mr Foley’s colleagues and senior Labor Party figures aware of the details and privately wondering whether the Opposition Leader would ever come unstuck over the story.
These details include the allegation that the incident occurred at Martin Place Bar after the press gallery Christmas Party in 2016.
Even as Mr Foley’s office denied the allegations late yesterday, MPs were privately asking questions about Mr Foley’s judgment and raising concerns for his future as leader.
Mr Elliott unleashed the tirade just before question time.
MORE NEWS:
Mastermind of teen’s murder nabbed at airport
HSC pushes students with ‘curly questions’
Busted network ‘helped mums steal their kids’
“I note the Opposition Leader called me a grub — I’ll tell you what I am not,” Mr Elliott began.
“I’m not a double drink-driver. I’ve never taken a quarter of a million dollars from a convicted murderer and refused to give it back. I haven’t had a little bit too much to drink at a party and harassed an ABC journalist. I’ve never done that.”
He then circled back to the accusation Mr Foley had harassed a journalist: “I hope there’s no ABC or Herald journo turning up to those drinks because we know what you’re like after you’ve had a few, just quietly.”
The initial response from Mr Foley’s office was to suggest the Opposition Leader would sue Mr Elliott if he made the remarks outside parliament.
A spokesman said: “Mr Elliott made allegations under parliamentary privilege that were he to repeat outside the parliament, Mr Foley will be forced to take the appropriate action. However Mr Foley said he is more than happy to repeat the fact that Mr Elliott is a grub, in or outside the chamber.”
It took several hours for the spokesman to issue a follow up statement saying: “The allegation is untrue”.
Mr Foley’s office threatened to sue The Australian earlier this year when it raised the issues, the paper reported online yesterday.
Asked to comment directly yesterday, Mr Foley did not respond to The Daily Telegraph.
A personal spokesman for the female ABC journalist at the centre of the events Mr Elliott was alluding to said “she’s got no comment”.
The Daily Telegraph sent the ABC a series of questions asking whether it was aware of the allegations and how the matter was handled.
The questions were not answered but a spokesman said: “We don’t comment on personal issues regarding our employees and the welfare of our employees is always our first priority.”
Every Labor MP spoken to by The Daily Telegraph yesterday said they did not witness the behaviour with regard to the ABC reporter as alleged by Mr Elliott, and said they could not comment on its truth or otherwise.
However, several MPs raised concerns about Mr Foley’s future.
“Colleagues are saying we’ve got an issue, if any part of this it true we’ve a serious issue,” one senior source said.
The senior MP said: “There is a disturbing pattern of poor judgment that is drawing unwanted negative attention on us all.”
Mr Foley has also received some internal heat for failing to consult colleagues’ opinions on his support for promoting The Everest on the Opera House.
Another senior Labor source said: “Of course I’m concerned, anyone who says they aren’t are kidding themselves.”
One MP said of the allegations that Mr Foley was privately “watering it down” and had said “it’s all bulls …” that had been circulating for over a year.
In 2015 The Daily Telegraph revealed Mr Foley’s drink driving record which he did not disclose to Labor MPs before he won a leadership ballot.
At the time Mr Foley said he was “ashamed” of his drink driving history and he’d “never pretended to be a perfect person”.
“I don’t go to the bar (at parliament), I don’t get on the piss, I have learned from my mistakes. I do not mix work and alcohol,” he said.
Mr Foley faced leadership questions earlier this year after his comments about “white flight” in the suburbs.
However, this has recently died down with Labor believing the government was on the ropes.
In recent months, one Labor frontbencher told The Daily Telegraph Mr Foley would survive to the election “unless he gets hit by a bus … but there are different types of buses”.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian refused to comment when asked if she supported one of her ministers making such serious allegations under parliamentary privilege.