‘Numbnut’: Sledges, allegations and scuffle alleged in One Nation senator lawsuit
Former senator Brian Burston’s lawsuit against One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has revealed sledges and dysfunction within the party. See the alleged ‘One Nation-isms’ heard in court.
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A former One Nation Senator has told a court he did nothing wrong by firing multiple staff, including one dubbed “numbnut”, publicly naming a woman accusing him of sexual harassment as well as allegedly “goading” another leading One Nation figure before taking out an AVO against him.
Former Senator Burston is suing One Nation founder and leader Pauline Hanson for defamation in the Federal Court after the pair very publicly fell out in 2019.
He is suing Ms Hanson over a Facebook post, a television interview and texts to his wife which he claims falsely painted him as a “pervert” who sexually harassed his female staff.
Ms Hanson is defending the claims as substantially true.
Mr Burston has told the court Ms Hanson was punishing him for refusing to follow her in flip-flopping on supporting or blocking tax cuts for big business.
Ms Hanson stood up in the senate in February 2019 and said a senator was facing multiple sexual harassment and unfair dismissal claims from his staffers – and then shared the speech on her popular Facebook page.
The Federal Court has heard Ms Hanson also texted Mr Burston’s wife days later saying everyone in Parliament knew the senator was infatuated with a staffer.
The senator’s wife, Ros Burston, told the court she was in the public gallery of the senate to hear the speech.
“I knew all the allegations were false but I was distraught or upset that all of those lies were said, without qualms,” she told the court.
“He was upset because none of it was true.”
Mr Burston had fired multiple staff in the years leading up to the fallout, the court heard, and some lodged formal complaints of unfair dismissal.
They were conspiring in their claims, Mr Burston suggested at the time, the court heard.
The former senator told the court some had disobeyed his direct directives, others had leaked to the press and one had gotten drunk and gone on a foul-mouthed tirade when he threatened to sack her.
It was a “mutual” decision to end the employment of one staffer, he told the court, despite appearing to issue an ultimatum that the staffer should either quit or be fired, a letter read in court showed.
“He said ‘no, no terminate me, I’ll get more money’,” Mr Burston told the court, recalling the meeting with the staffer.
Mr Burston sent a text message to another staffer which shared a termination message he’d sent to another worker in his office.
“Here’s what I sent to numbnut,” Mr Burston wrote.
The implosion of Mr Burston’s relationship with One Nation caused a flurry of news coverage, some of which is now part of the lawsuit, including a story in which the senator identified a female staffer who accused him of sexual harassment.
Wendy Leach, who is expected to give evidence in the case, claims Mr Burston sexually harassed her – but the senator denies that.
Ms Hanson’s barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, said it was inappropriate for Mr Burston to name his accuser in the press.
“I didn’t see her that way,” Mr Burston said.
He denies all of Ms Leach’s allegations.
One of the most public spats occurred the day before Ms Hanson sent the texts to Mrs Burston warning her husband was “vindictive”.
The court has heard Ms Hanson’s longstanding ally and chief of staff, James Ashby, filmed the Burstons in Parliament House questioning them about the allegations.
Mr Burston and Mr Ashby scuffled and Mr Burston, who had cut his hand at some stage, told the court he later wiped blood on the door of Ms Hanson and Mr Ashby.
The court heard Mr Ashby called Mr Burston a “traitorous c***” in later text messages.
Mr Burston said he took out an AVO against Mr Ashby using that message and another exchange in which Mr Ashby allegedly said “old men die”.
But Ms Hanson’s barrister said Mr Burston had been “goading” Mr Ashby with multiple messages over months and then used Mr Ashby’s responses to disingenuously apply for the AVO.
“You were content to lie to a court to get the AVO against Ashby,” Mr Chrysanthou asked.
“No,” Mr Burston replied.
Following the breakdown with One Nation, Mr Burston joined the United Australia Party.
UAP’s founding billionaire, Clive Palmer, funded the first year of Mr Burston’s legal battle, the court has heard.
ONE NATIONISMS:
Insults were allegedly flying left and right as One Nation fractured in 2019, many of the colourful terms were allegedly captured in texts and emails as staffers and senators accused each other of wrongdoing.
So far the court has only heard from Brian Burston but text messages and official letters have also been read in court, revealing the alleged war of words inside the senator‘s office.
It’s expected many of the claims will be denied, but here’s what the court has heard so far:
“F*** off idiot, traitorous c***” – Pauline Hanson’s COS James Ashby allegedly texted Brian Burston
“You’re an old man, old men die,” Burston claims Ashby told him
“She’s as ugly as a hat of arseholes,” Burston describing staffer Hanson claims
“Just because we wear a little red pen that signifies we’re senators should not excuse shocking behaviour by elected members,” Pauline Hanson speaking about Burston in Senate speech
“He was the last man I would ever hit on … He considers you to be nothing but a whinging old bag,” Hanson’s text to Burston’s wife in court documents
“You probably just need a good f***,” Burston denies saying this to female staffer in a meeting as alleged by Hanson
“Stop having sex with a whore,” Burston told the court a staffer said to another senator
“She’s overweight and loud,” Burston denies saying about a staffer, as alleged by Hanson
“She’s a bit of a stalker,” Burston describing one staffer in court this week
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