Watch Luke Foley’s original denial of sexual harassment allegations

TWELVE days after accusations of sexual harassment were aired in parliament, Labor Leader Luke Foley held a 10-minute press conference where he insisted he had no obligation to prove his “innocence”. WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE.

• Read the full statement
• The original accusation

TWELVE days after accusations of sexual harassment were aired in parliament, Labor Leader Luke Foley held a 10-minute press conference where he insisted he had no obligation to prove his “innocence”.

Mr Foley declined to outline his recollection of the night at Martin Place that led to him being accused of “harassing” a female journalist.

ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper has since come forward and made explosive accusations of inappropriate touching against Mr Foley, saying she wanted to “set the record straight” about a 2016 Christmas function.

ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper made explosive allegations against Mr Foley. Picture: Facebook

Mr Foley allegedly “put his hand through a gap in the back of my dress and inside my underpants.”

“He rested his hand on my buttocks. I completely froze.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE

Mr Foley has resigned as party leader but reiterated his denials that he harassed the journalist.

“The first thing I’d like to say is that the allegations against me today, made public by the ABC, are false. I’ve retained solicitors and senior counsels to advise on the immediate commencement of defamation proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia,” Mr Foley said.

“However I can’t fight to clear my name and fight an election at the same time. It’s just not possible to do both. Therefore I am resigning the leadership of the Labor Party effective today. This will enable a new leader to give his or her attention to the task of defeating the Liberal National government.

The NSW Opposition Leader has been under fire after Corrective Services Minister David Elliott used parliamentary privilege October 18 that he’d drunkenly “harassed” a reporter at Martin Place Bar in 2016.

But Mr Foley insisted at the October 30 press conference that he had no questions to answer.

Watch the full press conference above.

“There’s no complaint, all there is a smear under parliamentary privilege in the coward’s castle by Mr Elliott,” Mr Foley said at the time.

NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley has been accused of harassment. Picture: Joel Carrett

“I’ve repeatedly challenged Mr Elliott to repeat his smear outside the coward’s castle and of course he won’t. So I’ve said all I have to say on this.”

Mr Foley said he could recall the night but wouldn’t provide detail.

“Yeah and I’ve said what I want to say on this which is I staunchly deny what Mr Elliott has said.”

Mr Foley would not say whether he’d contacted the journalist involved in the incident since it blew up in state parliament on October 18.

According to Ms Raper’s statement, Mr Foley contacted her on November 4 to say he was planning on resigning, and November 6 to say he had changed his mind due to legal advice.

When asked why the journalist says she can’t comment rather than “nothing happened”, Mr Foley wouldn’t answer.

“I have said what I’m going to say. We don’t live in a country where somebody who is smeared under parliamentary privilege has to you know prove their innocence — of what?” he said.

Ashleigh Raper says Luke Foley told her he would stand down as Labor leader this week. Picture: Twitter

“What do we have here? A smear in the coward’s castle. I’ve said to him — say it outside the parliament. Expand on what you said but he hasn’t and he won’t. And this is the Liberals engaging in playing the man rather than the ball.”

When Mr Foley was asked how much alcohol he’d consumed on the night he retorted to a journalist: “Not as much as you”.

Mr Foley said he wanted any woman who was uncomfortable with an interaction with a man to make a complaint but he was “unaware of any such example” relating to himself.

“I’m unaware of any such example and as I keep saying all we have is a smear by Mr Elliot under parliamentary privilege and he doesn’t have the guts to repeat that smear outside the parliament.”

Mr Foley said at the time his party was “completely united” behind him.

A senior Labor source today said it’s expected deputy Labor leader Michael Daley will have the support of the party to take over the leadership if Mr Foley quits.

They also said Mr Foley remaining in parliament as the member for Auburn was untenable and he’d be under pressure to also quit the western Sydney seat which would trigger a by-election.