Lidia Thorpe withdraws claim that senator sexually assaulted her

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has accused Victorian Liberal senator David Van of “harassing” and “sexually assaulting” her, in an incendiary intervention in parliament that threatens to again engulf federal politics in allegations of toxic behaviour.

David Van denied Thorpe’s allegation, which was made after Senate question time on Wednesday as Van made a speech accusing the Labor Party of disgraceful behaviour in its handling of the Brittany Higgins sexual assault allegation.

Thorpe’s remarks, which she later said she was withdrawing to comply with Senate rules, were made less than an hour after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suggested the Morrison government had staged a sham inquiry into Higgins’ claim, dramatically escalating the political blame game descending on parliament this week over the rape trial that was discontinued by a court last year.

As the opposition again went on the attack during question time, the Prime Minister raised the abandoned inquiry by Phil Gaetjens, former secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, which was halted due to legal advice when a criminal charge was laid against former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann. Lehrmann has always denied Higgins’ allegation and pleaded not guilty. The charge was ultimately discontinued. He has now sued several media outlets for defamation.

“The failure to release any findings shows the inquiry was never intended to shine any light, and the [former] government failed to answer 57 questions on notice from Senate estimates dating back to the 22nd of March, 2021,” Albanese said.

“What is suggested by those opposite is that Labor is to blame for what is a serious sexual assault allegation by a Liberal staffer, about another Liberal staffer, and a Liberal minister’s office, metres away from the Liberal prime minister’s office.”

Senate question time was also dominated by the matter when Finance Minister Katy Gallagher faced her second day of questioning about leaked text messages and what she knew of Higgins’ rape allegation before it was aired on the Ten Network’s The Project on February 15, 2021.

Gallagher denied any knowledge of the financial settlement the Commonwealth reached with Higgins in December 2022 but did not say what information she was provided with by Higgins’ partner, David Sharaz, before the interview.

Shortly after question time, Van told the Senate that “even yesterday and today the muck that has been thrown from that side [Labor] to this side, [Liberal] senators [Michaelia] Cash and [Linda] Reynolds, [it] is really just not on and makes a mockery of your words”.

“As parliamentarians we need to be focused on setting the standards,” he said.

As Van spoke, Thorpe could be heard interjecting and calling out the word “perpetrator” and “You can talk! You can talk! You know what you were doing around this time, you know what you were doing around this time don’t you, Van? You got away with a lot.”

Senate Deputy President Andrew McLachlan repeatedly attempted to stop Thorpe from interjecting.

The former Greens senator then rose on a point of order and said: “I’m feeling really uncomfortable when a perpetrator is speaking about violence.”

McLachlan replied: “That’s inappropriate and I have to ask you to withdraw that.”

Thorpe said: “I can’t because this person harassed me, sexually assaulted me and the prime minister had to remove him from his office [to relocate Van’s office within Parliament House].

Lidia Thorpe made her accusation against David Van in the Senate on Wednesday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“And to have him talking about this today is an absolute disgrace, on the whole party.”

As Thorpe sat down, McLachlan said he would have to refer her comments to Senate President Sue Lines.

Van denied the allegation to the chamber: “I utterly reject that statement, that disgusting statement outright. It is just a lie and I reject it. I withdraw the word ‘lie’. It is just not true.”

In a statement issued later on Wednesday afternoon, Van said Thorpe had made “unfounded and completely untrue allegations against me that I immediately and unequivocally denied and continue to deny”.

Victorian Liberal senator David Van.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“These outrageous and reprehensible comments were made by Senator Thorpe using parliamentary privilege in the most malicious and despicable way. My lawyers have written to her already making my position clear in the strongest possible terms.”

Later on Wednesday evening, Thorpe said in the Senate that she withdrew her earlier remarks in order to comply with Senate rules. She said she would address the matter on Thursday.

Thorpe told the ABC in March she had been sexually harassed and assaulted in parliament but did not name the alleged perpetrator.

Thorpe did not tell the Senate when she was claiming the alleged assault and harassment took place.

Thorpe’s office declined requests for comment, including on whether she had referred the matter to police or planned to do so.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton declined to comment. A spokesman said Dutton was not aware of the allegations made by Thorpe until she spoke in the Senate.

A spokesman for Scott Morrison, who was prime minister at the time, said he had “no recollection of Lidia Thorpe ever making such an allegation to him personally or of any involvement in Senator Van’s office arrangements”.

Van is a little known Victorian senator who was elected in 2019 and is likely to face a preselection challenge.

In 2021 he issued an apology to independent senator Jacqui Lambie after he was accused of making a growling dog noise at her. He denied making a dog noise but conceded he had interjected while Lambie was speaking.

Parliament has again this week been consumed by questions about the Higgins allegation. The Coalition has targeted Labor frontbenchers over their knowledge of Higgins’ claim before she went public in a televised interview in February 2021, with the government hitting back that the allegation occurred under the Coalition’s watch.

When asked for comment about why the Gaetjens review was suspended, former prime minister Scott Morrison said it had been done at the request of the Australian Federal Police “as they were conducting their own investigation into the Higgins matter”.

“I was advised the secretary of [Prime Minister and Cabinet] complied with this request and suspended his investigation,” he said.

“The report was not concluded as by the time we had left office the matter was still being dealt with by the AFP. Mr Albanese is either not aware of these facts or willfully ignoring them to misrepresent the situation regarding Mr Gaetjens review.”

Gaetjens declined to comment.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

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