Michael Daley distances himself from Luke Foley
THE man tipped to be the next Labor State leader Michael Daley is among a number of senior NSW Labor MPs abandoning Luke Foley and siding with the journalist who claims he groped her. Mr Foley has denied allegations he harassed an ABC reporter and has threatened to sue for defamation.
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THE man tipped to be the next Labor State leader Michael Daley is among a number of senior NSW Labor MPs abandoning Luke Foley and siding with the journalist who claims he touched her inappropriately.
Deputy leader Michael Daley and Labor’s highest-ranking female MP Jodi McKay questioned Foley’s plan to commence defamation proceedings over allegations he placed his hand inside ABC reporter Ashleigh Raper’s underpants and rested it on her buttock at a parliament Christmas party.
Mr Foley sensationally quit as NSW Labor leader on Thursday after the ABC released a statement from Ms Raper detailing the alleged incident. Mr Foley staunchly denied the allegations in his press conference.
Mr Foley last night vowed to commence defamation proceedings over the allegations and maintained they were false, but quit as leader, leaving Labor in chaos five months out from the election.
“It will be damaging for everyone, particularly for Ashleigh Raper,” Mr Daley said.
“I think Luke should carefully reconsider whether he wants to take those legal proceedings or not.”
Ms McKay was also surprised about his plan to sue.
“Do I think that is the right decision? No,” she told reporters on the Central Coast.
“This just prolongs what Ashleigh has gone through and what she is going through and I think there needs to be a whole lot of serious consideration by Luke.”
Foley’s future as a Labor member is being considered as NSW Labor is holding a candidate review committee to determine whether the former leader should be able to run for Auburn.
If they find against him, Mr Foley would become an Independent and join the cross bench.
Senior figures believe having Mr Foley run for the seat of Auburn in March will be too big a distraction to allow.
Some senior Labor figures believe NSW Labor Party assistant secretary Rose Jackson should take the seat of Auburn.
Mr Daley believed Ms Raper “did the right thing” in coming forward, adding he was “very unhappy” with Luke Foley’s abrupt press conference last night in which he quit as leader, leaving Labor in chaos five months out from the election.
“She’s a credible person and I believe her,” he told reporters in Sydney. “Ashleigh Raper did not deserve to be treated that way.”
The Maroubra MP also called on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to hit the “reset” button in state parliament, saying politics is “at a low ebb” and “we can’t have women being treated the way they are”.
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Leaving his home with his wife and two children to drop them at school this morning, Mr Daley said he would have more to say later in the day, but expressed his displeasure at Mr Foley.
Mr Foley quit last night but vowed to take legal action after Ms Raper claimed he put his hand inside her underpants at a Christmas drinks function in 2016.
“I’m very unhappy with Luke Foley’s press conference yesterday,” Mr Daley said.
“We’re all thinking of Ashleigh.
“She did the right thing, she did the brave thing. We’re all thinking of her. She’s the most important person at the moment.”
Asked if he was tipped to be the next Labor leader, Mr Daley said that would be up to the caucus vote at 2pm on Saturday.
“I’ll outline that I’ll be asking for my colleagues’ support,” he said.
He is expected to have the numbers to leader the party in the fight to next year’s election, with Penny Sharpe being mooted as a deputy.
Mr Daley said “we need to improve things in the NSW parliament”.
“Politics is at a low ebb,” he said. “We certainly can’t have women being treated the way they are. We can’t have anyone treated the way we saw the bear pit parliament acting in the last couple of weeks.
“There has to be a reset button. And I’m calling on Gladys Berejiklian to join me now in saying that we need the parliament to come to a higher stand. It’s not about us, it’s not about the politicians, it’s about Ashleigh and we’re all thinking of her.”
Senior Labor shadow minister Jodi McKay also criticised Mr Foley, saying the former leader shouldn’t take legal action against ABC journalist who claimed he put his hand down her dress and underpants during a Christmas Party.
She also ruled out contesting the leadership or nominating herself for deputy leader at a doorstop press conference at Tuggerah railway station on the Central Coast this morning.
She admitted she was blindsided by Mr Foley’s decision to take the allegations to the Federal Court.
“I was surprised as anyone when he walked into that place and indicated he would be taking legal action,” she said.
“Do I think that is the right decision? No, but it is a decision he has made.”
Ms McKay denied knowing about the allegations.
“I knew nothing of the allegations obviously there had been talk around parliament.”
She said the reason she didn’t investigate further was she respected Ms Raper’s decision not to make a formal complaint and go public.
“What is important to remember in all this is that there is two men, not one but two. David Elliott aired what she didn’t want aired in the NSW parliament, he walked into that parliament and he used her for political point scoring.”
Corrections Minister David Elliott today issued a brief statement over his involvement in bringing the allegations against Mr Foley into the public domain.
“This has clearly been a difficult time for the journalist,” the statement reads.
“To that end, it was never my intent to cause distress for the journalist.”
Mr Elliot aired the allegations in parliament on October 18.
Ms McKay said she hadn’t spoken to Mr Foley since his bombshell press conference.
“I am the most senior woman in the NSW Labor Party and certainly I always support the leadership, we have been a tight leadership group.”
She denied that she had anything to do with a Facebook page circulating this morning to instate her as leader.
“My support is with Michael Daley,” she said.
She said there will be a Labor caucus meeting at 2pm tomorrow and the caucus would decided who to instate as leader.
“Like the leadership role that is a matter for the caucus but I won’t be putting up my hand for that role.”
PREMIER BACKS ABC JOURNALIST
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has strongly backed the ABC journalist involved in the incident involving Opposition Leader Luke Foley, praising her courage and describing the alleged incident as “absolutely horrible”.
Ms Berejiklian also said she was “disappointed” with Corrections Minister David Elliott for first airing the allegations in the NSW parliament last month.
And she said there was “absolutely no doubt that nobody wants to see a continuation of any political point scoring on this or any other related matter”.
“Today is not the day to get political,” Ms Berejiklian said.
The premier said all too often it was the women “who suffer” when complaints about inappropriate behaviour are made but she wanted to emphasize that the “best days of her career” are ahead for TV journalist Ashleigh Raper.
“I’ve expressed my absolute shock and horror at the allegations,” Ms Berejiklian said. “Yesterday demonstrates her courage and her integrity.”
Opposition Leader Luke Foley stepped down last night after Ms Raper detailed an incident at a Martin Place Bar in 2016 where he allegedly put his hand down the back of her dress and touched her bottom, under her underpants. Mr Foley vehemently denies the allegation
Speaking at a business lunch in Penrith today, Ms Berejiklian said she had known Ms Raper as someone of “of enormous integrity intelligence, integrity and professionalism”.
“And that was only enhanced yesterday by her eloquent and brave statesmen,” she said. “We need to respect what she said and we need to appreciate how serious and absolutely horrible these allegations are.”
Quizzed about whether she had endorsed Mr Elliott raising the allegations in parliament, Ms Berejiklian said no.
“Absolutely not, they were no premeditated,” she said. “I’ve expressed my disappointment. But I also don’t want to take away from the fact a journalist has been dealing with this. I feel incredibly disappointed that she had control of the issue, in the way she wanted, taken away from her.”
She said there were many elements people might wish to comment upon and the matter had been “prolonged”, “but we all need to do is to shut down the impact this has on the person who suffered the most”.
“She deserves to get on with her life and job. I respected every single word uttered in the statement. All of us appreciate she wants to move forward. As a woman, I cannot imagine what she has gone through.”
Asked if the issue had been discussed in Cabinet, Ms Berejiklian said “absolutely not”. But she added there had been rumours for some time. “That’s a fact,” she said.
She said what was “most critical” in the issue was to protect the woman involved.
“Women often are afraid to speak out because of the impact it has potentially on their career have. I don’t want to see that happen.
“She deserves our utmost respect, our protection, support and also the opportunity to not only continue her career but all of us know her caliber.”
After speaking to the media, Ms Berejiklian was pursued by television journalists and spoke sternly to them, saying:
“I please ask and respect that you not you not pursue me in a way… I’ve stood still and answered all your questions in a respectful way. And if you talk about respecting women, all of you should start doing that as well.”
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