Labor minister claims opponents ‘inciting’ online hatred

PUBLIC Transport Minister Jacinta Allan says she’s received death threats and vile abuse over the government’s taxi industry changes, accusing Liberal MPs of inciting such attacks.

PUBLIC Transport Minister Jacinta Allan has accused Liberal MPs of “inciting vicious attacks against me and my family” after facing questions about a taxi industry compensation fund.

In extraordinary scenes during a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing, Ms Allan revealed she had received death threats and vile abuse on social media because of the government’s changes to the taxi industry and ride-sharing laws.

Ms Allan raised the issue when responding to a question from Liberal MP Tim Smith about the government’s “fairness fund” that compensates licence holders.

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Liberal MP Tim Smith had asked Ms Allan about why the government required people to sign a nondisclosure clause that effectively “gags” them from speaking about the process.

Tim Smith MP during a Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing earlier this month. Photo: AAP

Ms Allan said she would have to check the facts of the question, before a series of interjections led to the minister’s accusations.

“Do you want to know why I’m worried about what you’re doing? What you are doing is inciting vicious attacks against me and my family,” she said.

“And I am quite happy to read into the record that people have been putting on Facebook they are surprised I haven’t been killed by now.”

Ms Allan said the coalition “did nothing to help this industry” when it was in government.

In response, Mr Smith said he was “disgusted” by the minister’s insinuations.

“I am not supporting any vicious attacks. Are you honestly suggesting (that)? I have never done anything of the sort, I never would,” he said.

“Explain how I personally have incited violence against you?

Ms Allan then said she was referring “to the collective of the party that you represent” and that MPs had “appeared to be endorsing the attacks against members of the government that have been made on social media”.

Oakleigh Labor MP Steve Dimopoulos later read out some of the vile posts made by members of the public on Facebook.

Bentleigh Labor MP Nick Staikos tweeted that he had been subject to abuse as well, pointing to a post that made references to his mother.

Mr Smith said he had been subject to abuse on social media, including from members of the United Firefighters Union, but did not suggest Labor had incited those attacks.

“I believe in individual responsibility,” he said.

Taxi drivers and licence-holders protest on the steps of Parliament House last year. Photo: AAP

Some people affiliated with the taxi industry were at the parliamentary committee meeting, but left midway through the hearing causing it to be briefly suspended.

The spat kicked off again later in the session when Mr Smith queried whether Ms Allan would make the “allegations” outside of parliament without privilege.

“It was a ridiculous performance from someone who ought to know better,” Mr Smith said.

He added: “Minister, you are not the only politician who cops it”.

Mr Smith read aloud an attack posted on Opposition Leader Matthew Guy’s Facebook page that told him to “die you little horrible lying c***”.

“You are an f***ing disgrace,” the comment said.

“You need a f***ing knife in your throat.”

The near six-minute exchange - the second of the day - was dominated by shouting and insults, and only ended when the session finished at noon.

Amid the yelling, Ms Allan said she was attempting to bring “some dignity” back to the hearing.

She also said she was happy to withdraw her comments if Mr Smith took personal offence.

“The comment I made was characterising the behaviour of the Opposition,” she said.

“I shared with you (Mr Smith) and your colleagues some of the commentary that has been made and I shared that in the hope that you would see what was behind some of the concern that I have had and my colleagues have had on this matter.”

Last year the government revealed it would deregulate the taxi industry, giving compensation to licence-holders who had seen the value of their assets plummet.

The state opposition says the amount offered — $100,000 for the first licence and $50,000 each for up to three other licences — is inadequate and have also attacked a separate compensation fund set up to help licence holders in financial distress.

It was revealed last week that some parts of the taxi industry may campaign for the coalition at this year’s state election because of the saga.

Geelong taxi owner Carolyn Stephenson, from Victorian Taxi and Hire Car Families, said the changes had been a “catastrophy”.

She said many families in the taxi industry were left in “dire” circumstances.

“I think we have been treated in a very trecherous, dangerous manner,” Ms Stephenson said.

“Our industry has been destroyed and our people along with it.”

Asked whether she could sympathise with Ms Allan, Ms Stephenson said, if she were in the Minister’s position, she would feel that “it is no wonder” and that she had “done it to myself”.

But she said she would encourage those responsible to stop the online trolling.

“It’s not a winning plan,” Ms Stephenson said.

“I understand that they are feeling angry, I know that they are feeling hurt and I know that their lives are the exact opposite of what they planned them to be.

“But I would say to them “stop and focus your energy on achieving the best result that we can achieve for ourselves moving forward”.”

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