James Morrow: Kimberley Kitching award cynical without investigation

Yes, it’s great that Labor will name an award after Kimberley Kitching but Albanese’s attempt to shut down controversy over her death comes across as cynical, writes James Morrow.

There is an early episode of The Simpsons where Monty Burns, seeking to get Homer to sign away any legal claims after an accident at the plant, offers him a $2,000 cheque and the inaugural “Montgomery Burns Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence”.

Without comparing the real and impressive work Kimberley Kitching did in the Senate to those of Homer Simpson, Anthony Albanese’s attempt to shut down the ongoing controversy over the Victorian senator’s death and the ALP culture of bullying that may have contributed to it, comes across just as cynical.

Yes, it is great that Labor will now hand out an award at National Conference in Ms Kitching’s name.

Her work on getting Australia to pass Magnitsky-style laws to allow us to go after human rights abusers not only was – and is – a great cause, but it exposed the internal division within Labor over just how weak certain elements within it are on China.

So let’s say one cheer for Mr Albanese.

Anthony Albanese outside Kimberley Kitching’s funeral on Monday. Picture: David Caird

Kimberley Kitching while visiting Defence personnel in Afghanistan.

But if the opposition leader thinks that an investigation not into the way Ms Kitching was treated, but rather the way future complaints are handled, will get Labor out of trouble on this he has another thing coming.

Of course, you can see why Mr Albanese wants to shut this down.

This whole horrible incident and the way it has been handled threatens to fatally undermine Labor’s narrative that it is better on the subject of women in politics.

And now, the perceived attempts to shut down any formal look into what happened – after spending the last year holding the blowtorch to the Coalition on other issues around the treatment of women – plays into the government’s charge that the opposition leader is indeed “Each-Way Albo”.

It is a measure of just how much dirt must be lurking underneath Labor’s carpets that he does not want even the most pro forma investigation conducted.

Surely if there was no issue here, there could be no harm from holding an internal inquiry.

Certainly one would think that the so-called “mean girls” would welcome a report denying claims (which they strongly deny, though Penny Wong has copped to sticking the knife in with that comment about Ms Kitching’s childlessness) of bullying.

‘Kimba’ … Kitching was farewelled this week. Picture: David Caird

Penny Wong arrives at the funeral. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty.

Kristina Keneally. Picture: David Caird

And it is simply unimaginable that Labor, which has faced allegations of a serious culture of bullying before, would ever let any other business off the hook in similar circumstances – much less the Coalition.

We know that when former attorney-general Christian Porter was being accused of all manner of historical misbehaviour (again, misbehaviour he strongly denies), Labor was keen for a full investigation into how that might have contributed to a deeply troubled young woman’s suicide.

Not much more than 12 months ago, on March 4 of last year, Mr Albanese said that “at the moment you have a circumstance whereby you are having inquiries … by the media.”

“Now, that’s not the way to deal with this issue,” he said.

“The way to deal with it is to have an appropriate inquiry and for the Prime Minister to be able to satisfy himself and the Australian people that Christian Porter is a fit and proper person to continue in the role that he has.”

So which is it?

Is a formal inquiry the go when someone has died, and someone else’s behaviour – whether an individual, a clique, or an entire organisation – has been linked to the tragedy?

Or do we just name an award for the deceased and promise to do better next time?