Rita Panahi: Penny Wong is trying to use Kitching’s tragic death to shield herself

It’s rich for Penny Wong to talk about “decency” when she’s effectively attacking Kimberley Kitching’s loved ones in the hopes of silencing them.

Penny Wong’s car crash interview with Nine’s political editor Chris Uhlmann on Sunday raised more questions than it answered.

The Labor frontbencher was wholly unconvincing in her denials about bullying within the party and her attempts to shut down claims from Kimberley Kitching’s family, friends and colleagues bordered on the shameful.

The low point of the exchange was Wong trying to use Kitching’s tragic death to shield herself, the rest of the ‘mean girls’ as the late senator referred to them, and elements of the Labor Party from scrutiny.

“I’d invite some in the media, I’d invite some of those sharing their views and some of those making claims to reflect on whether or not they’re expressing common decency,” Senator Wong said. “I would invite some of those making claims and sharing views to consider and reflect on whether or not they have demonstrated that.”

Labor senator Penny Wong has tried to silence those who have called out her treatment of Kitching. Picture: David Caird

What she’s doing there is attacking Kitching’s friends and family for standing up for the woman they love; they are the ones making the claims of bullying, an issue Kitching herself had raised before her tragic death.

It’s rich for Wong to talk about ‘decency’ when she’s effectively attacking Kitching’s loved ones in the hopes of silencing them.

Wong’s explanation for cruel commentary about Kitching’s lack of children was also unconvincing.

“My motivation in that exchange wasn’t to personally attack her,” she said. “My motivation was to express the distress that many children feel about climate change. But what I said was insensitive. I regret it … And I apologised, as I should, when I became aware how she felt about it.”

But Wong only apologised after the exchange was reported in the media, not before.

Indeed, there are those close to Kitching who question whether an apology was ever made.

As political reporter Samantha Maiden revealed on the ABC on the weekend: “Senator Kitching never told people that were very, very close to her that there was an apology.”

Senator Wong also failed to explain why she remained silent as fellow South Australian MP Nicolle Flint was subjected to feral abuse from the Left. Abuse so demented and consistent that Flint has decided to quit politics.

And, there was no explanation on the double standards that sees the Coalition held to a different standard than Labor.

This is the party that has dishonestly weaponised the treatment of women into a partisan issue, one they use to bash the Coalition.

The very least Labor leader Anthony Albanese can do is to call for a full investigation into Kitching’s treatment.

Anything less is a failure that every voter should reflect upon in the lead up to the coming federal election.