Emma Husar to challenge Labor over Lindsay endorsement

Labor MP Emma Husar will challenge the NSW Labor Party’s decision to withdraw their endorsement of her.

Labor MP Emma Husar. Picture: Gary Ramage

Controversial Labor MP Emma Husar has vowed to fight for her political career after she was abandoned by both Bill Shorten and the NSW Labor Party today.

NSW Labor’s administrative committee withdrew its endorsement of Ms Husar for the next election and referred preselection for her marginal seat of Lindsay to the party’s national executive this afternoon, after Mr Shorten said he did not want Ms Husar to run again.

“I will be challenging the validity of this decision because I believe it is inconsistent with the party’s own rules,” she told The Weekend Australian.

“But more than that, it is inconsistent with the Labor Party’s values.

“It is a disgraceful day in this country when a hardworking woman’s career is ended by slut-shaming in the media.”

Ms Husar’s decision to fight-on leaves open the possibility that she will run as an independent and cause electoral pain to Mr Shorten as he tries to sweep up Western Sydney seats at the next election.

Ms Husar would not comment on either the Opposition Leader or the possibility of defecting from Labor.

The MP for Lindsay stepped aside as Labor’s candidate for the seat after she was hit with a litany of bullying and sexual harassment allegations. She is now suing BuzzFeed for publishing the initial articles.

Ms Husar told the House of Representatives on Thursday that she was “slut shamed” by a series of articles by BuzzFeed journalist Alice Workman which detailed allegations of bullying by Ms Husar’s former staff members.

BuzzFeed also reported an allegation that the MP had made a lewd gesture in proximity to ALP frontbencher Jason Clare.

The incumbent MP told the House she “was not a bully” and “not Sharon Stone”, in reference to the report about her interactions near Mr Clare.

A BuzzFeed spokeswoman told The Australian on Thursday that the website was considering its position after Ms Husar’s statement and would “respond in due course”.

But the Opposition Leader today said he did not want Ms Husar to recontest the next election.

““I said at the time when Emma wrote saying she wasn’t going to recontest the election, that that was the right decision then for her and the party. I haven’t changed my mind,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“I understand that (she wants to run). But I haven’t changed my mind.”

The NSW Labor Party made their decision known in a statement this afternoon. Ms Husar did not know about the decision when she was contacted by The Australian.

“The Administrative Committee resolved to withdraw its endorsement of Emma Husar as Labor’s candidate for the Federal seat of Lindsay,” the party said in a statement.

“The Administrative Committee also resolved to refer the preselection of Labor’s candidate for the Federal Seat of Lindsay to the National Executive.”

The decision to not hold a rank-and-file preselection would appear to make it likely that the party will parachute a candidate into Lindsay. It is understood the preferred candidate is former NSW state minister Diane Beamer.