Rape and sexual assault claims have devoured the parliamentary and political agenda, salaciously, sadly and sordidly corrupting the public discourse to the detriment of victims, justice and decency.
Genuine complaints, despicable behaviour, confected outrage, partisan opportunism, public prosecution in the media and the exploitation of parliamentary privilege over the past three years have created a fatal and irretrievable collapse of public standards.
There is a vortex – not just the so-called toxic culture of Parliament House – that has damaged numerous people and their careers, with the prospect of more to come all because long-held principles of politics and parliament have been abandoned.
As a result of the politicisation and exploitation of sexual assault allegations, there has been an erosion of appropriate and proper behaviour. At the same time, there has been a rise in instantaneous political and public gratification that demeans such serious allegations, removes privacy and confidentiality, dumps the presumption of innocence and ignores the correct handling of justice. This has to end. Well, at least it should end.
For all the embracing of new standards of behaviour in parliament as a workplace, there has been more political use of allegations. Under parliamentary privilege – with protection from defamation proceedings – an allegation can become a denunciation or the fuel for a wider political campaign that damages individuals and parties.
Independent senator Lydia Thorpe sensationally named Victorian Liberal senator David Van as a “perpetrator” of sexual assault against her and then equally sensationally withdrew the claim and later said parliament was a dangerous place but she would not be going to the police.
Once further allegations by other women were made, Peter Dutton removed Van from the Liberal party room after a week of pursuing Labor over how rape allegations had been used.
The Coalition had earlier sought details of when Katy Gallagher knew of the rape allegations of Britanny Higgins, who she told and what she did with the information which ultimately became the basis of a concerted campaign to destroy then prime minister Scott Morrison and brand the Liberal Party as having a “problem with women”.
Labor stands accused of weaponising a rape allegation and seeking political advantage by a Coalition aggrieved at what it sees as exploitation of a rape allegation and, not surprisingly, being accused of doing the same thing.
In this whole sorry saga it has to be remembered the original allegation was war-gamed within the media, “fed” to Labor friends and publicly revealed before a formal complaint was filed with the AFP.
Departure from principles of proper behaviour and administration of justice has led the body politic into a cul-de-sac of salacious sensationalism and sad abandonment of people genuinely in need.
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