Emma Husar lashes Anthony Albanese for ALP’s ‘poor treatment’ of women

Former Labor MP Emma Husar has called for Anthony Albanese to act on the ‘poor treatment of women” in the opposition after the rape allegation that has rocked the Coalition.

Former Labor MP Emma Husar.

Former Labor MP Emma Husar has called for Anthony Albanese to act on the “poor treatment of women” in the opposition after the rape allegation that has rocked the Coalition.

Ms Husar said Labor’s handling of the workplace conduct ­allegations she faced revealed the culture of silence towards the treatment of women was endemic in federal parliament and a problem across the political spectrum.

Ms Husar left parliament after one term in 2019 after she faced allegations of staff bullying and was disendorsed by the NSW Labor Party.

She has strenuously denied those allegations and settled a defamation case on the matter with Buzzfeed Australia. An independent inquiry, commissioned by the NSW Labor Party, found the allegations of sexual harassment and lewd conduct against the Labor backbencher were unfounded but she treated her staff unreasonably.

In an open letter to the Opposition Leader published on Wednesday, Ms Husar said Mr Albanese had not acted on her complaints about how the party handled the allegations against her. She said she had “patiently waited” for Mr Albanese to “do the right thing” and “call out the behaviour in the ALP”.

Ms Husar said Mr Albanese acknowledged she deserved a public apology for the party’s handling of the allegations in a private meeting with her in September 2019. She said three text messages — seen by The Australian — which she sent to Mr Albanese following up the apology in October and November 2019 went unanswered.

Ms Husar also accused Mr Albanese of supporting her only to undermine Bill Shorten, who was leader of the party at the time the allegations against her surfaced in 2018. She said his refusal to apologise suited “his political ­aspirations as the leader”.

Ms Husar said she could “no longer sit in silence” and watch the “sanctimonious behaviour” of Labor parliamentarians, which suggested the poor treatment of women was only a problem in the Coalition.

“I have been galled watching my former colleagues speak out, yet were silent bystanders when I endured such horrendous treatment,” she said in the letter.

“This continued disdain for women, cover-up culture, the abuse and the slut-shaming is leading to worse outcomes, and none worse than Brittany’s.”

“It doesn’t get any worse than what’s happened to Brittany” she told Sky News. “My issue was slightly different but they are inextricably tied together,

“You (Mr Albanese) are the leader responsible. The Labor Party cannot pretend that poor treatment of women exists on only one side of the political divide and I will no longer hold the secrets of and protect those who should have done better when they had the chance.

“Your inaction and that of the powerful boys club that protects each other must be dismantled.”

Ms Husar said she was “slut shamed” in the Labor Party and forced to be complicit in the ­silence around poor workplace behaviour by men in the party.

Labor’s updated sexual harassment policy goes to the ALP’s National Executive on Friday, where it will be adopted.