Pauline Hanson supports alleged sexual harassment victim in defamation trial
The One Nation leader has appeared at a Sydney court to support a woman who claims a former senator sexually harassed her.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has shown her support for a female staffer who told a court she felt degraded and humiliated by the way a former Australian senator made comments about her breasts and confessed his love for her.
Details of Brian Burston’s alleged “infatuation” with his former staffer came to light after he sued Senator Hanson, alleging she defamed him on social media, on television and in a text by airing sexual harassment allegations.
The 74-year-old sensationally quit Ms Hanson’s One Nation party to join the United Australia Party after a public breakdown in the pair’s relationship over the government’s corporate tax cut plans.
STAFFING ISSUES
Mr Burston sat at the back of the Federal Court in Sydney on Thursday with his wife, Rosalyn, as Senator Hanson’s barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC told the court that her client was not a “direct witness” to the claims she made public.
Ms Chrysanthou said it was “widely known” across parliament that Mr Burston could not retain staff.
She told the court that two of Mr Burston’s staffers, Terrie-lea Vairy and Wendy Leach, raised concerns of sexual harassment with Senator Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby.
“Feeling very strongly about sexual harassment, Mr Ashby discussed the matter with my Senator Hanson, which is what gave rise to her speech in parliament,” Ms Chrysanthou told the court.
“As a senator, as a person who has obligations to the Australian people and having been informed a fellow senator is accused of sexual harassment by not one but two women, she had an obligation to raise it.”
Senator Hanson showed her support for Ms Vairy, who appeared in the witness seat to give evidence on Thursday.
STAFFER’S EVIDENCE
The 47-year-old told the court that she had worked as a cleaner for Mr Burston and his wife since 2007 and was planning to quit before the former senator offered her a job as an electoral officer in 2017.
The court was told that her wage jumped from $16,000 as a cleaner to about $60,000 when she took on the role, with Ms Vairy telling the court she was earning $100,000 before her dismissal.
Ms Vairy told the court that Mr Burston called Ms Leach “loud” and said she wasn’t “as attractive as he thought” and he “wouldn’t have hired her” if he had known.
When questioned about whether he said anything about Ms Vairy’s appearance, she told the court that he said “it was nice to have a good looking sheila in the office”.
That same day she was again made “uncomfortable” when Mr Burston made comments about her to his brother.
“He took the call while I was in the conference room and he basically told his brother that he has Miss World sitting in front of him,” Ms Vairy said.
“It was embarrassing … unwelcome.”
ATTEMPTED KISSES
Ms Vairy told the court that Mr Burston kissed her on the lips in the office multiple times, which often left her “in shock” and worried that other staff would see.
She claims Mr Burston asked her to lunch on multiple occasions, but she always tried to bring another person as Ms Vairy did not want to be alone with him.
“Originally, I wasn’t concerned but it started to make me feel uncomfortable, he would make comments all the time,” Ms Vairy told the court.
“He told me I would look sexy all the time … saying I have sexy legs, would make degrading comments.”
When she refused to go to lunch, Ms Vairy told the court that Mr Burston would get “frustrated”.
Ms Vairy said she raised her concerns and Mr Burston responded: “If anyone complains I’ll sack them and not to give a f**k about what anyone else says.”
In January 2018 on a trip to Canberra, Ms Vairy told the court that Mr Burston insisted on walking her back to her accommodation and invited himself inside for a wine.
“When he was leaving he leant in and tried to passionately kiss me. I slapped him on the back and told him to settle down. He said, ‘What, I’m just trying to say goodbye’,” Ms Vairy said.
On another instance, Ms Vairy said Mr Burston walked her back to her car, cupped her face and pulled her in for a “long kiss”.
“I felt disgusted,” she said.
LOVE CONFESSIONS
Ms Vairy told the court that she told Mr Burston she was uncomfortable by what her boss was doing, but he did not stop.
In March 2018, Mr Burston called the staffer into his office and confessed his love for her, the court was told.
“He said he was in love with me and he’s not telling me this because he wants to f**k me, not that he doesn't want to because what man wouldn’t,” Ms Vairy told the court.
Mr Burston would also send texts to Ms Vairy late at night, including one that said “I hope you got a good lashing this afternoon” with a smiley face.
RELATIONSHIP WITH A SENATOR
Ms Vairy told the court that she had been having a relationship with former senator Peter Georgiou in November 2018.
The court was told that another electoral officer, Belinda Jackson, had phoned her to discuss the intimate details of the sexual relationship.
Previously, the court was told Mr Burston told Ms Jackson to make the phone calls.
“She rang and Mr Burston was in his office with the door open … she questioned my relationship with Mr Georgiou,” Ms Vairy told the court.
“She said it was common knowledge.”
Ms Vairy told the court that she was humiliated and felt it was an “invasion of privacy”.
She held back tears as she told the court that she was aware the relationship had been leaked to the media and was in newspaper articles.
“Originally, I approached Mr Burston about something I saw on the computer where it states I was in a sexual relationship, and he told me it had already been leaked to the media,” Ms Vairy told the court.
“He said I was having the relationship in the same apartment as my daughter and I was sharing secrets via pillow talk.”
Ms Vairy said the newspaper article was then stuck on the window of Mr Burston’s office for months, which left her feeling degraded.
The court heard that Ms Vairy became emotional when she found out former Senator Georgiou had another girlfriend and was “sleeping with someone else”.
“I was disappointed he had a girlfriend, I found out through Brian,” she told the court.
In a fit of rage she sent a text message to her ex-lover, calling his girlfriend a “whore”, the court heard.
She also claimed Mr Burston “encouraged” her relationship with the senator, which he denies.
“He would let me know when Georgiou phoned him, he would send me photos of him and would make comments,” Ms Vairy said.
“He wasn’t discouraging it.”
The trial continues.
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