Senator never heard ‘all men are rapists’

A Greens senator has described “unacceptable” attacks by former senator David Leyonhjelm against Sarah Hanson-Young.

A Greens senator has told a court that at no time during a noisy parliamentary debate did she hear colleague Sarah Hanson-Young say words to the effect that “all men are rapists”.

“If she said all men are rapists, I would have heard that because that would have been a very extreme statement and would have pricked my ears,” Senator Janet Rice told the Federal Court on Tuesday.

Senator Rice was giving evidence at the defamation lawsuit brought by Senator Hanson- Young against then-senator David Leyonhjelm over comments he made in a press release and in three interviews between June 28 and July 2, 2018.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. Picture: Bianca De Marchi/AAP

In the material, Mr Leyonhjelm elaborated on his comment to Senator Hanson-Young on the floor of parliament to “stop shagging men” amid a debate on legislation seeking to prevent violence against women.

She says she was defamed in the interviews and media statement by his portrayal of her as a hypocrite and misandrist.

This flowed from him saying she used words in parliament that were “tantamount ” to claiming all men are rapists but “nevertheless had sexual relations with them”.

Senator Hanson-Young has told the court she did not use those words, which would be an “absurd” statement.

David Leyonhjelm arrives at the Federal Court in Sydney. Picture: Dean Lewins/AAP

Under cross-examination on Tuesday, Senator Rice agreed there were many interjections made during the debate and when she read out a one-minute statement Senator Hanson-Young could have been making interjections.

They could have referred to women armed with guns not protecting them from men, which Senator Rice said was effectively her own point in her statement.

It was “much less extreme” to be talking about guns in the Senate than saying all men were rapists, she said.

She described as “highly unacceptable” the later attacks by Mr Leyonhjelm on Senator Hanson-Young and bringing her sex life into the public debate.

The hearing continues.