Peter Dutton urges Liberal senator David Van to resign over sex harassment allegations
Peter Dutton has urged Liberal Senator David Van to resign from parliament over multiple allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment.
Peter Dutton has urged embattled Victorian Liberal senator David Van to quit parliament, following his expulsion from the party room after several allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment.
The Opposition Leader said Senator Van should resign “sooner than later and seek the help that he needs” after the Liberal leader referred allegations about the backbencher’s alleged behaviour to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service.
Liberal MPs said they wanted the party to disassociate itself from Senator Van, who returned to Melbourne on Thursday night after former LNP senator Amanda Stoker accused him of groping her twice on the bottom.
Mr Dutton said he had spoken with Liberal Party Victorian division president Greg Mirabella and other Victorian colleagues about Senator Van.
“I think it’s in everyone’s best interests that he resign from the parliament and I hope he’s able to do that sooner than later and seek the help that he needs, and I think that would be an appropriate next step,” Mr Dutton told radio 2GB.
“In terms of the decision to expel him from the party, well, that’s a decision for the party in each of the state divisions. We are a separate body in each state and territory, as is the case with the Labor Party.”
Senator Van, who believes it was unfair of Mr Dutton to expel him from the party room, released a statement on Friday morning calling for a “proper examination” of claims levelled against him.
He has rejected all allegations made by independent senator Lidia Thorpe, declaring that nothing she said in the Senate this week was true.
“I am utterly shattered by the events of the past days and stunned that my good reputation can be so wantonly savaged without due process or accountability. I will fully co-operate with whatever process Mr Dutton proposes to determine these matters as quickly and fairly as possible,” Senator Van said.
“While I understand the public interest is high, I will not be making any more public statements on the allegations until a proper examination of these claims is concluded.”
The Australian on Friday revealed that a second former female Liberal MP had raised concerns about Senator Van’s behaviour with senior figures in the Morrison government.
Mr Dutton confirmed that in addition to Ms Stoker’s complaint he had raised a second allegation with Senator Van when they met on Thursday.
“It’s been referred to the appropriate authority for investigation. I’m not a judge and jury. Senator Van protests his innocence here in relation to the separate allegations that have been made,” he said.
Mr Dutton, who is seeking to win back female voters who deserted the party at last year’s federal election, said: “I think any boss would be remiss not to act. It’s unacceptable behaviour.
“The thought of sexual assault against any woman in the workplace is not something that I would tolerate.
“It’s been an issue in the press gallery, it’s been an issue in parliament house, and obviously there’s now a system where matters can be referred independent of the parties, and I’ve referred the matters to that independent workplace authority for investigation and it’s now with them.”
Former prime minister Scott Morrison was asked if he had been made aware of the alleged incidents involving Senator Van, but he did not respond by deadline.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles endorsed Mr Dutton’s referrals of allegations to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service.
“For a lot of us, we just have a sense of sadness and disappointment about the fact that this is what we’re now talking about, or that this is happening again in the context of this building,” her said.
“This is not a political issue, obviously, this is across political parties.
“This has been a constant theme since I’ve been in parliament and it’s deeply disappointing and all of us in this building need to be better.”
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