Senator David Van refuses to resign from parliament amid harassment claims

Ex-Liberal Senator David Van will lose some roles when he returns to the crossbench amid the fallout of his sexual harassment allegations.

Embattled Victorian Senator David Van will be stripped of $12,000 from his taxpayer-funded salary, as the fallout from allegations of sexual harassment continues.

The blow follows his resignation from the Liberal Party over the weekend after three women raised concerns about his conduct, all which he strenuously denies.

Senator Van, who is on leave from the parliament for medical reasons, is expected to return to the crossbench at the end of July following the midwinter break.

But he will not resume his roles of Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, and Deputy Chair of the Sub-committee on Foreign Affairs and Aid.

Senator David Van in the Senate last week. Picture: Martin Ollman

This is because the positions are held by the Opposition, which is already considering his replacement.

The axing from the Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation role means he will lose the extra 5.5 per cent, or almost $12,000, on top of his base salary of $217,060.

Senator Van lost his organisational resources from the Liberal Party when he ended his membership on Saturday evening, with the support initially suspended amid the allegations.

He is also advertising for a new diary manager for his electorate office in Cheltenham.

Senator Van’s position within the party became untenable when Peter Dutton last week demanded he quit the parliament – which would enable the opposition to elect a new Liberal member.

But Senator Van wants a “proper examination” of the allegations made against him, and plans to stay on the crossbench as an independent until the end of his term in 2025.

Senior Labor figure Tanya Plibersek said the Albanese government “will have to” work with Senator Van on legislation.

But she said the real issue was how to make sure that both Parliament House and every workplace in Australia was “as safe as it can be”.

Mr Van has defied calls to exit parliament amid mounting pressure from senior Coalition figures to step down following multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

Mr Van has repeatedly denied the accusations against him made by independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker and another unnamed female parliamentarian, but quit the Liberal Party on the weekend after being booted to the crossbench by Opposition leader Peter Dutton.

Parliament resumes on Monday for the final sitting week before a month-long winter break, with senior Liberal sources unsure if Mr Van plans to appear in Canberra amid growing calls for him to resign entirely.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said as Mr Van was elected to the senate as the Liberal Party representative and not as an individual, he should quit parliament.

“He wants to remove himself from the Liberal Party, and then he should probably also remove himself from the Senate,” Mr Littleproud said.

Mr Van has criticised Mr Dutton and the Liberal Party for what he considered a “disregard for due process”. and committed to participate in any investigation into the allegations, maintaining he had done nothing wrong.

Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie backed Ms Thorpe’s decision to raise her accusations of sexual harassment and assault against Mr Van under parliamentary privilege, noting the system had long been used to highlight allegations in the public interest.

“Senator Thorpe was absolutely within her right to use parliamentary privilege to raise those issues as she did,” Ms McKenzie told ABC.

Ms McKenzie said she was “aware of rumours” regarding Mr Van, but had not known of any specific allegations before Ms Thorpe and Ms Stoker came forward last week.

She said Mr Dutton made “absolutely the right call” in throwing Mr Van out of the party room, describing the “decisive” action as a “testament to his strength of feeling” on these types of matters.

Mr Dutton said he was not aware of the allegations against Mr Van, including that he grabbed Ms Stoker’s bottom twice at an informal social function in 2020, until Ms Thorpe’s accusations in the Senate prompted further inquiries.

Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie Picture: Getty Images

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Coalition agreed to move Mr Van’s office away from Ms Thorpe’s in 2021 after she reported his alleged inappropriate behaviour.

The emergence of allegations against Mr Van from multiple members of parliament has sparked concerns about how the siloing of complaints had failed to adequately protect people working inside parliament.

Ms McKenzie said she believed the new Parliamentary Workplace Support Services (PWSS) system established in the wake of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ sexual assault allegation would enable “joining the dots” between complaints made in “separate entities” such as the Senate, lower house or political parties.

“(It’s) a one-stop shop … for colleagues, for staff in Parliament House, for MPs to go to confidential advice,” she said.

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Originally published as Senator David Van refuses to resign from parliament amid harassment claims