‘Dearest Jacinta I have considered your levy … it’s bulls**t’: Liberal MPs linked to cow poo parcel dumped at Premier’s office

Senior Liberal MPs have urged their colleagues to be respectful following the prank delivery of a cow poo parcel to Jacinta Allan’s office.

Cow manure was inside the prettily packaged parcel dumped at Jacinta Allan’s office. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Two Liberal MPs who assisted angry farmers to deliver a poo-parcel to Premier Jacinta Allan’s Office have been referred to parliament’s workplace standards and integrity body.

Outspoken upper house MP Bev McArthur and Warrandyte MP Nicole Werner are facing a possible investigation by the Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commissioner over alleged parliamentary misconduct.

If found to have breached workplace safety standards, the duo could be forced to make a public apology, undergo dispute resolution and/or mandatory training, or commit to behavioural agreements

In a statement on Friday, Legislative Council president Shaun Leane said he hoped Victorian politics hadn’t stooped to a level where leaving “boxes full of turds” on MPs office front doors became an accepted form of protest.

“Surely we can’t get to the point where it’s commonplace that differences in policies - whether it be government, opposition, or minor parties - that MPs in opposition to those policies usher angry stakeholders to other MPs parliament offices front doors with boxes full of turds, leaving MPs staff and parliament to deal with the anxiety as well the offensive object,” he said.

The pretty parcel of cow manure left at Ms Allan’s office. Picture: Supplied

The parcel was addressed to ‘Dearest Jacinta’. Picture: Getty

Two Liberal MPs allegedly helped orchestrate the poo parcel prank.

Premier Jacinta Allan called out the stunt again on Friday, saying the behaviour had not only breached parliamentary standards but was a “significant breach of community expectations”.

“It seems the only person who has an issue with calling out this behaviour is the weak opposition leader who continues to back his backers,” she said.

Despite two of his senior colleagues calling out the stunt as “inappropriate”, Opposition Leader Brad Battin repeatedly refused to condemn the behaviour of his colleagues on Friday.

“It’s not something I would do,” he repeated.

“I don’t want to be internally focused.

“My focus is external, on those farmers who are so angry.”

Pressed over whether he had spoken to Mrs McArthur or Ms Werner and requested that they don’t pull any further stunts, he refused to reveal any conversations.

“Any conversations with my colleagues ... would be private and confidential,” he said.

Senior Liberal MPs have called out their own colleagues over a poo-parcel delivery to Premier Jacinta Allan’s office, labelling it “inappropriate” and urging “respectful” debate.

Warrandyte MP Nicole Werner and upper house MP Bev McArthur were on Tuesday referred to the parliament’s presiding officers after a box containing cow manure was left at Ms Allan’s office.

The see-through parcel was gift wrapped and contained a note saying: “Dearest Jacinta, I have considered your levy and here’s my feedback, it’s bulls**t.”

The message was signed “Brutus and family”.

Shadow treasurer James Newbury and shadow Attorney-General Michael O’Brien both criticised Mrs McArthur and Ms Werner’s conduct when questioned about the stunt on Thursday, suggesting it was not the right way to get the Premier’s attention.

“I completely understand the anger on the steps of parliament, but the way it was expressed wasn’t appropriate,” Mr Newbury said.

When asked whether there should be consequences for his colleagues, Mr Newbury said he wouldn’t comment while “internal matters” were underway.

The parcel contained cow manure. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“It’s always important to be respectful in your debate, and what happened was inappropriate,” he said.

Mr O’Brien simply agreed with Mr Newbury.

“We should let the privileges committee do its job,” he said.

The comments come after Opposition Leader Brad Battin refused to condemn the stunt, instead saying that if it got the attention of the Premier “maybe that’s a positive”.

When questioned about the surprise parcel, Mrs McArthur told the Herald Sun the only way regional Victorians could get a message to Labor politicians was by “delivering a bulls**t cake direct to their door”.

“Labor MPs are acting like they’ve never seen cow sh*t before – maybe they don’t get out of Melbourne much?” she said.

“If they’re genuinely more upset about a pile of manure than the total mess they’ve made of their budget and this state, it’s no wonder Victoria’s going broke.

“Labor MPs should spend more time listening to their constituents, and less time complaining about this harmless stunt.”

The Herald Sun has confirmed the parcel was left as part of a wider protest over the government’s controversial new fire services levy that passed parliament last week.

Victorian Liberal MP Bev McArthur. Picture: Ian Currie

Manager of government business, Mary-Anne Thomas, referred both Ms Werner and Mrs McArthur to the parliament’s presiding officers alleging they were behind the prank.

She accused them of bringing the parliament into disrepute.

“At approximately 11:50am on the 20th of May, Mrs McArthur and the Member for Warrandyte escorted a member of the public into a pass holder-only area of the precinct to leave an offensive prop outside the sliding doors of the Premier’s office,” she said.

“The members were accompanied by a staff member with a camera who directed the member of the public to leave the prop while taking photos of the incident.

“The accompanying staff member also took unauthorised photos of a member of the Premier’s office, who was seated at the front desk while this event was occurring.

“The staff member has indicated that being exposed to this incident and being filmed without permission has understandably made them feel uncomfortable and unsafe in their workplace.

“I do not believe that the member of the public who accompanied the members would have been able to get the prop through parliament security and I would allege that it was Mrs McArthur or the Member for Warrandyte who brought the prop onto the precinct for this stunt.”

Security concerns were also raised about a recording that could show the Premier’s office, security arrangements or her staff.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin failed to condemn the two MPs allegedly behind the dirty stunt and refused to say whether he had privately disciplined Mrs McArthur or Ms Werner, who are both factional allies and were crucial to his leadership challenge late last year.

Nicole Werner is the state Liberal MP for Warrandyte.

Mr Battin said he didn’t have any knowledge of the stunt because he was on the front steps of parliament protesting the government’s emergency services levy.

“It’s not something I would have done,” he said.

“But I will focus on the fact that I have spoken to so many farmers who are so angry out in the community.

“If this (stunt) changes the message and gets them (government) out to speak to them, then maybe that’s a positive.”

Mr Battin said senior government Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, who referred the two MPs to the privileges committee, should focus on the concerns of farmers in her Macedon electorate.

Premier Jacinta Allan slammed the two Liberal MPs linked to the poo package on Wednesday, calling the behaviour “disgraceful” and ripping into Mr Battin for failing to condemn the stunt.

“I say disgraceful because can you imagine coming into any workplace, coming into a hospital, dumping cow manure on a colleague’s desk, going into a factory and dumping that in the tea room?” she said.

Ms Allan also claimed that the prank had compromised the safety of her staff.

“I spoke to the staff member involved, and she told me how she felt unsafe, how her workplace safety was compromised because a couple of Liberal politicians acted in a disgraceful, inappropriate way in a workplace, in the parliamentary workplace,” she said.

“I condemn that behaviour.”

“You know who hasn’t condemned that behaviour? The leader of the opposition, Brad Battin, hasn’t condemned that behaviour.

“I call on him to either condemn this behaviour, or is he going to back his backers who did this disgraceful act?”