Ryde Labor candidate’s wife reduced to tears over ‘intimidation’
The campaign in a key northwest Sydney seat has turned ugly with the wife and young child of a Labor candidate being surrounded by Liberal Party supporters at a community event.
The battle to be the next Ryde state MP turned ugly yesterday when the wife and young child of the seat’s Labor candidate were surrounded by Liberal Party supporters at a community event.
Karyn Laxale claims she felt intimidated and wants to bring the incident to the attention of the NSW Electoral Commission.
Mrs Laxale, whose husband Jerome is running against sitting Liberal MP Victor Dominello, said the incident at an Eastwood event had brought her to tears and distressed one of her seven-year-old twin daughters.
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A photo shows how Mrs Laxale and her daughter were surrounded by placard-waving supporters of Mr Dominello at the event.
“I’m really hurt and disappointed,” Mrs Laxale said. “This was meant to be a special family Korean event and it was hijacked by toxic behaviour from the Liberals.
“As a mother, I wouldn’t want any child to experience this kind of behaviour.
“I hope that there will be a time in the near future where this kind of hyper-masculine culture is a thing of the past.”
Mr Dominello said in a Facebook post he contacted Mr Laxale this morning to “unreservedly apologise” over the incident.
“I have spoken to Jerome this morning to unreservedly apologise to Karyn. This campaign needs to be a contest of ideas. Respect is needed by both sides of politics and I have impressed that upon my team,” the Finance Minister wrote, two hours after he had initially left out Mrs Laxale’s name.
Mr Dominello has been slammed on social media for not calling Mrs Laxale direct to apologise.
“Not good enough. Make your campaigners apologise to the child and Karyn,” Elle-Jay Williams wrote on Mr Dominello’s post.
Roxi Ingleton added: “Is someone going to apologise to KARYN?”
And Kim Phillips said: “I’m sure Victor would have had a stronger reaction had it been his mother or his sister who were being bullied and intimidated! And apologised to Jerome and gave his bully boys a rap over the knuckles! Wow! Time to go!”
Rowena Hodges said she was “horrified to see the picture, especially that scared little kid”.
“Many of your supporters are rationalising this by saying that Karyn shouldn’t have taken their child,” Ms Hodges said on Mr Dominello’s post. “Can you please tell them to back the hell off? She is a citizen and agency to move around freely without threat of intimidation.”
Mr Dominello said he was not at Eastwood Mall yesterday when the parade took place.
“Both Liberal and Labor supporters took part in the parade,” he said in a statement late today. “Upon hearing that Mrs Karyn Laxale was distressed about certain behaviour, I called Mr Laxale, as I do not have Karyn’s number, to apologise.
“It distresses me to know that people are distressed.”
Mr Dominello said witnesses had also told him about some disturbing behaviour by Labor supporters at the event.
He accused Mr Laxale’s father of spitting at a Liberal campaign volunteer and making “offensive homophobic comments towards a number of my volunteers”.
Mr Laxale’s father denied the allegations, saying: “I’m distressed that accusations are being made to justify incredible poor behaviour towards little girls by young liberal volunteers.”
Jerome Laxale said he had accepted Mr Dominello’s apology.
The Ryde Mayor posted on his Facebook page this afternoon that “it’s been pretty rough 24 hours”.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has sent our family messages of support,” he said.
“What happened yesterday was inexcusable. I have spoken to Mr Dominello, accepted his apology, but also stressed that he should do all within his power so that incidents like yesterday’s never happen again.”
Labor’s spokeswoman for Women, Jenny Aitchison, said one of the biggest barriers to women becoming involved in politics was the impact on their children’s lives.
“For political operatives to deliberately target a candidates children and other local kids is a new low,” she said.
“Intimidation of little children is never OK in any context, particularly little girls.
“The day after International Women’s Day, this behaviour is appalling and shows how far we still have to go.
“This disgusting behaviour must be called out. I call on Victor Dominello to immediately sack those volunteers from his campaign and apologise directly to Karyn Laxale.
“Anyone with a family will understand how Karyn and Jerome must be feeling right now.”
The NSW Liberal Party said it was looking into a number of complaints from volunteers about the behaviour of the Labor campaign.
TIGHT RACE
The bookies’ latest odds have Mr Dominello as a solid favourite at $1.24 to retain the seat of Ryde.
However, there are reports of big bets on Mr Laxale, who has firmed in to $4 from $5 with Sportsbet and $4 from $6 with the TAB over the past month.
This will be the threequel of Dominello versus Laxale. The first showdown came in 2011, when Mr Dominello breezed home with a 25 per cent margin. In 2015, there was a 13.5 per cent swing to Mr Laxale, but Mr Dominello won the seat with 61.5 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.
But a recent Galaxy poll showed an 8.5 per cent swing to Mr Laxale.
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