Matt Canavan: Julia Banks not silenced when in parliament

Matt Canavan rejects Julia Banks’ claim she was silenced during her time in parliament, but says sexual harassment claims should be progressed.

Julia Banks at a March 4 Justice rally. Picture: Jason Edwards

Former Liberal MP Julia Banks has been roundly criticised by her former Coalition colleague Matt Canavan, who rejected her claims she was silenced during her time in parliament, saying if “you’re going to throw punches, you’ve got to be prepared to take it”.

In her blistering book, Power Play: Breaking through Bias, Barriers and Boys Clubs, Ms Banks details her time in parliament, particularly her alleged harassment by a cabinet minister in the Turnbull government, and Mr Morrison’s conduct after she informed him of her decision to quit the Liberal party.

But Mr Canavan said the idea she had been silenced couldn’t be further from the truth, adding that, as a democratically elected member of parliament, she held an almost unrivalled position to express her views.

“This idea that as an elected member of parliament, you are somehow a victim. That is ridiculous when you have a massive platform, you can go into the chamber and speak on parliamentary privilege whenever you like,” Senator Canavan told Sky News.

“Not many other Australians have that privilege. You can go in and just say whatever you like in the nation’s parliament and the media will report you. You cannot be silenced as a democratically elected member of parliament.

“It’s not clear to me what you mean by consequences. If you go out there and attack your own party, your own government. Of course, you’re going to face criticism in response, what’s the alternative that they should apparently just sit back and cop it?”

The Queensland Senator, however, said he categorised her allegations of harassment as a separate issue, and said any complaint should be progressed if it had been made.

In a statement, Mr Morrison said he “absolutely rejects claims” about the conversations he allegedly had with the former Chisholm MP. Instead, he offered a different narrative, which included offering her personal leave to enable her to recover from the tumultuous period.

“The Prime Minister was disappointed in Ms Banks’ decision to quit the Parliamentary party and had several conversations with her to understand what she was going through to see what support could be offered before she made her decision,” Mr Morrison’s office said.

Mr Morrison said he wasn’t aware of Ms Bank’s allegations of sexual harassment, and labelled any behaviour as “completely inappropriate”.

"I could smell the alcohol on his breath and then he put his hand on my knee and ran it up my leg"

Former Liberal MP @JuliahBanks has opened up to @Natalie_Barr about her claim to have been sexually harassed by a cabinet minister. pic.twitter.com/9KUArvOpBk

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) July 5, 2021

Speaking to Seven’s Sunrise on Tuesday morning, Ms Banks said there were “risks and consequences” for any women who calls out sexism or sexual harassment. Ms Banks detailed the alleged harassment from her former colleague, saying the front bench MP put his hand on her knee and “ran it up my inner thigh”.

“Even though I didn’t name names, I was certainly the whistleblower and my treatment from Scott Morrison and other leaders of the organisation in the Liberal party during that three-month period were nothing more and nothing less than reprisals and retribution,” Ms Banks told Sunrise.

“I started out being the weak petal, and then when I kept speaking up, I was the bullied bitch.”

She said she didn’t come forward at the time of the alleged assault because of the “systems and structures” in place in any organisation, but namely parliament, but says she called for a whistleblower system two years ago.

After Malcolm Turnbull was dumped as PM, Ms Banks decided to leave the Liberal party and run as an independent, and she said Mr Morrison acted like a “menacing controlling wallpaper” during the period.

“He wanted me silenced. He wanted me to be quiet. He wanted me out of the parliament. He wanted me out of the country,” Ms Banks told ABC’s 7:30 on Monday night.

“And I felt at that time I thought ‘I’m challenging him and that was his response.’ His response was to sort of drag me through this sexist spectrum narrative, that I was this weak, overly emotional woman.”