Is this the standard culture of Australian political parties
rape and abuse of women and children
WHAT KIND OF PARLIAMENT DO THE AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE HAVE HERE - CERTAINLY NOT A CHRISTIAN AND ETHICAL ONE WE WERE SUPPOSIDLY VOTING FOR
A letter containing a historical rape allegation against a Cabinet Minister
The letter containing the allegation was sent to Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Copies were sent to Labor's Senate Leader Penny Wong, and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, accompanied by a statement outlining the details of the alleged sexual assault. The matter has been referred to the AFP, with the letter sent on to AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw. It is understood he has briefed police in New South Wales and South Australia about the letter's contents. Senator Wong explained the letter was not the first she had heard of the situation.
Sadly the Lady took her life. The question is what police will do, given the woman who made the allegations has died.Will Scott Morrison speed up an Inquiry?
Justice must be done for the Victim and her family It is with great sadness at the loss of this women's life. that her story is now out in the open and public knowledge.
IMACOGINDEWHEELOFLIFE has chosen to not mention the accused victims name on this blog in respect for the deceased victim and her family.
and as I do not feel there is any need to, not because of any legal restrictions. From what I can tell she disclosed all looking for help
.
The Australian public must clearly demand an open enquiry....
The letter requests urgent action be taken by the Prime Minister to investigate the alleged rape, which occurred in 1988 before the accused man entered politics. The matter has also been referred to the Australian Federal Police. The letter was forwarded to AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw by Labor's Leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, and Greens Senator Hanson-Young, who were also recipients of the letter. Four Corners understands that Commissioner Kershaw has briefed South Australia Police and NSW Police. 3/7 The letter, shared with Four Corners by a friend of the complainant, attaches a detailed statement prepared by the complainant for her lawyer about the brutal rape she alleges took place
````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The coroner will then determine whether to conduct a public inquest into her death. 5/7 The woman alleged the sexual assault took place in Sydney in 1988, long before the man's political career commenced
A Cabinet Minister has been accused of violently raping a 16-year-old in 1988
Scott Morrison was told of the historical rape allegation against the minister
Letter sent to Scott Morrison was referred to AFP by Labor and Greens Senators
NSW Police were investigating the matter until the woman died in June 2020
COVID 19 HINDERED THE INVESTIGATION
The anonymous author of the letter said they want Mr Morrison to set up an independent parliamentary investigation into the incident.
'When news of [the complainant's alleged] rape becomes widely known to the public (as it most likely will), legitimate questions will be asked as to who knew what, when they knew and what they did,' said the letter, seen by ABC's Four Corners.
'This is occurring today in relation to Brittany Higgins.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
1988: A 16-year-old girl is allegedly violently raped in Sydney 2019: The woman sends a letter to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull about the allegation 2019: Labor Senator Penny Wong is made aware by the complainant of some details of the allegation 2020, February: NSW Police set up Strike Force Wyndarra to investigate the historical child sex crime after being referred to by South Australian Police 2020, March: NSW Police cannot travel to Adelaide to take a formal statement from the complainant because of Covid restrictions 2020, June 23: The woman informs NSW Police she no longer wants the investigation to continue 2020, June 24: The complainants body is found after she has taken her own life in Adelaide Both Senator Wong and Mr Turnbull have said they contacted the South Australian Police after hearing of her death 2021, February 26: An anonymous letter was received by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Labor leader in the Senate Penny Wong and Greens Senator Sarah-Hanson Young. A statement from the complainant to her lawyer is attached, including details of the alleged rape Ms Wong said she contacted the AFP, NSW Police and SA Police after receiving the letter. She also forwarded the letter to AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw Ms Hanson-Young forwarded the letter to the AFP Commissioner and said she spoke to him on the phone about the allegation
GO HERE FOR FULL STORY
“NSW Police understand that reporting sexual assault can be distressing and traumatic for victims – and it is always the choice of an individual whether to proceed with an investigation or not.”
The South Australian Police are continuing to prepare a report for the state coroner on the woman’s death.
READ FULL STORY HERE
go to link for editorial and video message
Veteran political journalist Malcolm Farr says the new rape allegation is far too serious for the government to try to spin its way out of it.
OR HERE: IF link not accessible no video article only
At the time, Ms ........ boss Defence Minister Linda Reynolds encouraged her to go to police but the adviser ultimately decided not to pursue a formal complaint. Ms Higgins asked police on Wednesday to reopen the investigation.
“I cannot state strongly enough the importance of timely referrals of allegations of criminal conduct,” Mr Kershaw wrote in the letter to Mr Morrison. “Failure to report alleged criminal behaviour in this manner, or choosing to communicate or disseminate allegations via other means, such as through the media or third parties, risks prejudicing any subsequent police allegations.”
Male former Liberal staffer at centre of rape claim enters hospital
The former Liberal staffer at the centre of the Parliament rape claim has reportedly checked himself into a Sydney hospital.
The man accused by Ms........ ......of sexually assaulting her in Senator Linda Reynolds’s office at Parliament House drove to the Royal North Shore Hospital and checked himself in on Wednesday, sources told The Daily Telegraph.
A source told the newspaper that the man was concerned and had sought psychiatric care, but had not self harmed.
The former staffer has not been publicly named, is not under police investigation and has never been charged.
I AM PLACING A WARNING HERE; AS THIS NEXT ARTICLE IS DISTRESSING ; ADULT ONLY
Scott Morrison, senators and AFP told of historical rape allegation against Cabinet Minister
/
Posted 1dday ago, updated Yesterday at 12:21amextract read full story here
The letter was forwarded to AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw by Labor's Leader in the Senate, Penny Wong, and Greens Senator Hanson-Young, who were also recipients of the letter.
Four Corners understands that Commissioner Kershaw has briefed South Australia Police and NSW Police.
The letter, shared with Four Corners by a friend of the complainant, attaches a detailed statement prepared by the complainant for her lawyer about the brutal rape she alleges took place.
NSW Police set up strike force
Last year, NSW Police set up a strike force with a view to commencing an investigation into the historical allegations about the Cabinet Minister after the woman came forward.
Strike Force Wyndarra was established by police after she reported in Sydney in February 2020 to detectives from the NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad that she had been raped by the man.
The woman had engaged a lawyer and told many friends about the allegation, but took her own life in June last year.
I AM PLACING A WARNING HERE; AS THIS NEXT ARTICLE IS DISTRESSING ; ADULT ONLY
Two Liberal advisers, Chelsey Potter and Dhanya Mani, told this newspaper in July 2019 they were subject to sexual harassment. They described events over past years. Their warning came only four months after Reynolds heard Higgins tell of rape. And the government continued on its complacent way. When the Liberals released a code of conduct six months later, Liberal women declared it unenforceable.
Letter containing rape allegation against a Cabinet Minister could tumble into full-blown crisis for Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison has a man problem. Sixteen of them, to be precise.
They are the 16 men in the 22-strong Federal Cabinet over whom hang an allegation of a horrible crime, outlined in an anonymous letter sent to the Prime Minister.
One of them is accused of a horrific 1988 rape of a 16-year-old but until he is identified, all 16 live under a cloud of broader public suspicion.
This is the political conundrum at the heart of the Prime Minister's man problem that threatens to tumble the scandal over parliamentary culture into a full-blown Cabinet crisis.
And until this is somehow resolved, Morrison's oft-spoken-about "woman problem" only worsens — a woman problem that's undeniably contributed to Liberal MP Nicolle Flint quitting politics in disgust at the toxic treatment of women in Canberra.
A woman problem some Liberals fear will further discourage women from pursuing a political career. A woman problem that hasn't been remedied by any of Morrison's efforts to promote women.
For now, the Morrison Government argues that the minister in question must be afforded natural justice. It points to 7.1 of the ministerial code which states that "a Minister should stand aside if that Minister becomes the subject of an official investigation of alleged illegal or improper conduct."
One prime ministerial aide argues there is no official police investigation, in South Australia, NSW or federally, nor has a minister been charged.
Liberal strategists might have already calculated that the prospect of prosecution is remote in any case, given the complainant took her own life in June last year, aged 49.
But other senior coalition folk wonder if a wait-it-out strategy is politically tenable in the long run, especially after the past fortnight of sleaze, shame and self-reflection.
They question whether the Government can sustain resistance against calls for an independent inquiry.
Some in Labor suggest the Coalition might fight fire with fire, that historical claims of sexual assault against a senior Labor figure might be revisited.
But this wouldn't help Morrison, whose acknowledgement of significant cultural problems in the Parliament and his party requires action that restores the Coalition's reputation.
Reynolds accused of ‘hiding behind’ alleged rape victim
Linda Reynolds has been accused of “hiding behind” alleged rape victim Ms,,,,,,,, after she declined to answer questions over her handling of the incident.
The Defence Minister faced a grilling in senate question time over her account of the alleged rape, but repeatedly refused to answer, claiming she was protecting Ms ........ privacy.
Ms ........ claimed she was sexually assaulted by a colleague in the minister’s parliamentary suite in 2019, an allegation Senator Reynolds became aware of days later.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed he was not aware of the alleged assault until last Monday, and Senator Reynolds claimed she did not alert his staff because it was “not her story to tell”.
She cited the same justification when declining to confirm whether she had disclosed the allegation to other ministers.
She claimed Ms ,,,,,,,,,, was aware of the meeting, insisting “everything that was done was done with her knowledge”.
Ms ........... directly contradicted that account, telling news.com.au she had “no idea” her then-boss had met with the AFP.
“The fact they escalated it to meeting with the assistant AFP commissioner, that’s news to me,’’ she said.
“She didn’t warn me at all. Then, in October 2019, she disclosed very personal information to my employer at the time. I don’t think she’s ever cared about my privacy.”
Senator Reynolds also refused to reveal when she became aware her former chief of staff had sought advice over the alleged rape.
When repeatedly pressed to reveal a specific date, Senator Reynolds would only reiterate her claim, first made last week, that she became “incrementally aware (of the alleged assault) over a number of days”.
The Defence Minister will front the National Press Club on Wednesday.
ARTICLE EXTRACT FROM
Parliament House rape allegations: New text messages reveal trouble for PM’s office
Scott Morrison’s claim that no one in his office knew about the alleged rape of Ms..... has been undermined by new text messages.
Scott Morrison’s claim that no one in his office knew about the alleged rape of Ms .....has been undermined by new text messages revealing his staffer was “mortified” by the story and had pledged to take action.
The text messages were exchanged between Ms Higgins and another Liberal staffer in April, 2019, after she had confided that she had been sexually assaulted but had got “jack-sh*t” support from the Liberal party. Outraged, the man asked if he could take the matter to a friend who worked for the Prime Minister and ask for help on her behalf. The man said he did so and on April 3, 2019, just 11 days after the alleged rape in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds’ office, he reported back to Ms Higgins what happened in a text message. “Spoke to PMO (Prime Minister’s Office). He was mortified to hear about it and how things have been handled,” the text reads. “He’s going to discuss with COS (Chief of Staff) — no one else. I flagged need for councillor (sic) and desire to be closer to home during election.”
In response to the text messages, Mr Morrison was careful not to deny the possibility someone in his office knew, indicating it was something a review into the matter he has called will now examine.
“I am aware of those reports and those matters are in the scope of what I have asked the secretary of the Prime Minister and cabinet to look into,’’ he said.
“It is within that scope. We have had that conversation this morning and I would expect that to be considered in the scope of what he is already doing. I set out in the parliament this week the timetable of when I am advised my office knew about it.”
Mr Morrison said the allegations shattered him.
An explosive text message between Ms ......and a fellow Liberal staffer seems to indicate the Prime Minister's office was made aware of her alleged rape in Parliament House just days after.Source:Supplied
Turmoil for man at centre of rape claim
Former peers of the man at the centre of Brittany Higgins’ rape claims have described him as a “real lad’s lad”, but now his world is falling apart.
23/02/2021 4:30:00 AM
Former peers of the man at the centre of Ms’....... rape claims have described him as a “ real lad ’s lad”, but now his world is falling apart.
The former Liberal staffer at the centre of allegations he assaulted Ms.....and two other women has reportedly checked in to a private rehabilitation clinic , days after staying overnight in hospital and being stood down from his his job at a large corporation. Source https://headtopics.com/au/turmoil-for-man-at-centre-of-rape-claim-18803806
CANBERRA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior member of the Australian government has been accused of an historical rape dating back to the 1980s.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) were on Friday notified of a letter sent anonymously to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and senior members of the Labor and Greens parties Penny Wong and Sarah Hanson-Young, urging the prime minister to take urgent action to investigate the alleged incident.
The letter included allegations from a now-deceased woman that she was raped at the age of 16 in 1988 by a current minister from the Morrison government who has not been publicly named.
The New South Wales (NSW) Police said the alleged victim reported the incident in February 2020 and triggered an investigation.
Four months later she told the police that she no longer wished to pursue the complaint before she took her own life the next day.
Hanson-Young said the letter detailed "a disturbing and a very serious allegation of a criminal nature against a senior member of the government," according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Sharman Stone, a former Liberal minister, urged the government to investigate the rape allegations, saying she hoped the woman's death was not "in vain." Enditem
WORLD NEWS
Fourth woman accuses ex-staffer of assault
A fourth woman has come forward to allege she was sexually assaulted by the same political staffer accused of raping a colleague inside Parliament House.
The woman alleges the former Liberal Party staffer reached under the table to stroke her thigh at a Canberra bar in 2017.
She has filed a report at a police station in Canberra and will make a formal statement later this week.
The woman came forward to the ABC after Ms...............alleged she was raped by the man in 2019.
Two other women - a Liberal staffer, and a former party volunteer - have also alleged they were sexually assaulted by him.
Rape allegations throw doubt over future of Australian prime minister
minister
Mike Head 20 February 2021
Allegations that a young female staff member was raped by a more senior male official inside a government ministerial office nearly two years ago suddenly erupted in the corporate media this week, raising questions about the political survival of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison (AP/Kiyoshi Ota)
Morrison told parliament on Thursday that his office had no knowledge of the allegations until last week, and he was not informed until Monday. But leaked email messages were published yesterday purporting to show that a senior officer in his office was notified in 2019, soon after the alleged sexual assault on the Liberal Party staffer, Ms.........
If the prime minister is found to have lied to parliament, he could be forced to resign. Whether the incident is used for that purpose is not yet clear, but it certainly has become a possibility.
By Wednesday, the Australian said “the political crisis” was “engulfing the Morrison government.” Australian Financial Review political editor Phillip Coorey said the government was “reeling from the allegations,” writing: “The events of this week have highlighted just how quickly the government’s fortunes can run off the rails.”
There is a long history of sexual assault accusations, even if untested, being exploited for political purposes. That needs to be borne in mind while assessing the scandal that is wracking the Liberal-National Coalition government. Many questions remain unanswered about this affair, but underlying political agendas seem to be driving events.
High-level sources within the government are evidently leaking emails, and working closely with the media, to accuse Morrison of being aware within days of the alleged rape, which occurred in then-Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds’ office on March 23, 2019, less than two months before the federal election of May 18.
The Australian reported yesterday it had obtained a text message sent to Ms........ by a fellow Liberal staffer on the morning of April 3, 2019, within a fortnight of the alleged rape. In the text the Liberal staffer said he had spoken directly with a member of Morrison’s staff. Other media outlets later broadcast copies of the text.
“Spoke to PMO [Prime Minister’s Office]. He was mortified to hear about it and how things have been handled,” the text says. “He’s going to discuss with COS [Chief of Staff]—no one else.”
Morrison announced yesterday that the head of his prime minister’s department, Phil Gaetjens, would investigate the matter and check the phone records of his office. This is the fourth investigation into the affair that Morrison has announced this week.
Even before the publication of the leaked email, prominent figures in the political establishment had described as “implausible” or “unpersuasive” Morrison’s claim that he knew nothing about the incident until Monday, when the allegations were made public by news.com.au, a Murdoch media platform.
Among those casting doubt on Morrison’s denials were Malcolm Turnbull, whom Morrison replaced as Liberal leader and prime minister in August 2018; Kevin Rudd, a former Labor Party prime minister; and Peta Credlin, who was chief of staff to Tony Abbott, whom Turnbull had deposed in September 2015.
Questions have been raised also about the fate of Reynolds, whom Morrison elevated into cabinet as defence minister following the 2019 election. Photographs were broadcast of her in tears in the Senate on Thursday after publicly apologising for a second time for what she said was her failure to offer Ms.......... more support following the alleged rape.
On Tuesday, Morrison had openly criticised Reynolds, declaring that she should have told him about the incident. He told parliament it was not “acceptable” that Reynolds knew for almost two years but did not inform him. Later, Nine Media reported that at least five Liberal Party MPs said Reynolds should resign.
On Wednesday, Ms............. escalated the spotlight on Morrison. She alleged that Morrison’s principal private secretary Yaron Finkelstein had called her to “check in” around the time an Australian Broadcasting Corporation “Four Corners” program into alleged sexual harassment in the Liberal Party was aired last November. And “sources close to Ms ..........” said at least one other adviser in Morrison’s office had been notified about the rape allegations as early as 2019.
Yesterday, Ms........... issued a statement saying she was now asking the Australian Federal Police to investigate the alleged rape and lay charges, something she had declined to do in 2019. This announcement followed four days in which Ms........... and her supporters had aired the accusations throughout the media.
These are methods pioneered by the “MeToo” movement, in which targeted figures are subjected to trial by media, with allegations widely reported as fact, overturning the principle of innocent until proven guilty.
Among the unanswered questions about the scandal are: Who initiated this public raising of the allegations nearly two years after the events? Who is advising Ms..........? Who is leaking against Morrison?
What is known is that the scandal was launched by an apparently well-prepared dossier presented via news.com.au. The Australian, another Murdoch outlet, reported: “According to a detailed document that was provided by Ms.........—which includes a timeline of events, as well as emails and text messages between herself and Liberal Party staffers about the alleged rape—she claims that Senator Reynolds and her acting chief of staff Fiona Brown ‘directly addressed’ the alleged sexual assault with her once.
“Ms........... said she was given the option to go home to the Gold Coast during the 2019 election campaign—but was told that this would affect her ability to reapply for a future Liberal Party job or she could stay in Western Australia with Perth-based Senator Reynolds for the campaign, which she did.”
After the election, Ms............. was offered jobs by four senior government ministers, before ultimately taking a post in the office of Employment Minister Michaelia Cash, from which she resigned a month ago.
Increasingly, evidence has emerged this week of a protracted cover-up of the incident, involving Liberal Party figures, parliamentary presiding officers and official investigators.
Government sources said the former ministerial adviser accused of rape by Ms............ was sacked for “security breaches” on March 26, 2019, three days after the incident.
A parliamentary inquiry later secretly examined the rape allegation after parliamentary security guards raised concerns. A guard said that Ms......... was found half-naked and disoriented in the ministerial suite, indicating that an incident had occurred, but the room in which the rape was allegedly committed was steam-cleaned the next day, potentially destroying evidence.
Yet House of Representatives Speaker Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan reportedly accepted a report last October that found the evidence did not substantiate claims that senior officials had asked the guards to amend incident reports to minimise the event and remove key information.
Among the four investigations that Morrison has announced in an effort to smother the allegations, is one proposed by the Labor Party opposition Anthony Albanese. This supposed independent review into parliament’s “workplace culture” is a diversion that amounts to another effort by Labor to shore up the government and the parliamentary order, as it has done throughout the bushfire and COVID-19 disasters.
How far this affair goes remains to be seen, but it has further punctured the media-created myth of Morrison’s government being strong or stable. It confronts a historic economic and public health crisis, and concerns that deepening working class discontent will erupt.
All week, the Murdoch media has continued to promote the information throwing Morrison’s conduct into doubt, with the evident intent of either forcing his resignation or disciplining his government. An Australian editorial on Wednesday criticised the government’s response and warned: “The political ramifications of the drama are potentially enormous.”
Both the Australian and the Australian Financial Review (AFR) have expressed mounting frustration with the government’s refusal to more aggressively pursue “industrial relations reform” to further attack workers’ jobs and conditions amid the “biggest health and economic crisis in generations.”
please support @ WORLD SOCIALIST WEBSITE
Forme Liberal staffer Ms ...............says she was only made aware about some of the details of the night she was allegedly raped in Parliament House after going public with her storY
Ms ....... says she only became aware of 'key elements' after she made public her allegations
She has accused the Prime Minister Scott Morrison of 'victim blaming'
Mr Morrison has asked the head of his department to find out if a member of his staff contacted Ms .......... after the alleged rape
Brace for the ugliest ever year of Australian politics
More horrific revelations about rape in our parliament over the weekend. A second and third woman has come forward to level rape allegations by the same Liberal staffer. The PM’s office has sunk into a swamp of lies as senior officials are exposed as knowing about Ms...... early on. Ms......... herself has triggered a full federal police investigation which the scum will welcome given they can now hide behind the phrase “I don’t want to prejudice the investigation”.
My reading is that PM Morrison is fatally wounded as things stand. Every time he opens his mouth it’s another indictment. It doesn’t matter what the subject is or whether you agree with him or not. If he defends your interests then that puts you on the side of Morrison’s (alleged) rapist protection racket.
A large majority of Australians likely feel the same way. Common decency and fairness are bedrock traits of Australian identity. Whether it’s true or not, they want to see themselves this way.
So, what now for a sinking Government? It has two remaining options. The first is to go the transparency route and force Morrison to resign or be rolled. Peter Hartcher on the weekend:
The crime against Ms.......... sits unanswered. It is unanswered in the specific case of Ms........, but it is also unanswered in the wider case of the Australian Parliament. Until this alleged crime is answered for Ms........ in particular and answered systemically by the Parliament for Australia, it is a standing challenge to the legitimacy of the government, the Parliament, and the exercise of power itself.
…to change behaviour, incentives must change. Sharkie is right. The idea of an independent body is one way to change behaviour. We can be guided by successful precedents. After decades of politicians rorting their expenses, the solution was the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Agency, which is now operating well. After decades of parties squabbling over claims that their opponents are guilty of “black hole” budget costing disasters, the solution was the Parliamentary Budget Office, which is working brilliantly. The solution both times was an independent, expert umpire operating with high levels of transparency.
The Government does not have the moral substance. It is more likely to pretend through series of inquires past the next election, as we saw over the weekend with Morrison’s newly discovered fake outrage. If polls collapse then perhaps.
But the Government has another problem, at The Guardian on the weekend:
A senior staff member in Liberal MP Craig Kelly’s office continues to work in his role despite multiple young women – some as young as 16 – coming forward to NSW police to allege inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, including an instance of unwanted touching, and despite an apprehended violence order being granted in one case.
And The Saturday Paper:
‘I was a staffer, and so was my perpetrator’ “What Australia seems wilfully blind to is that each of its enclaves of power has a misogynistic, patriarchal power structure that enables the oppression, vilification and sexual abuse of women.” Dhanya Mani Eighteen months after publicly reporting her assault, former Liberal staffer Dhanya Mani explains why
We can expect a ceaseless drip of this stuff going forward. It will come from the “me too” dynamic, as well as the media’s and Labor’s dirt files.
So, the second option for the Government will be to deflect and distract, much more Morrison’s style. We are already seeing moves that way. The Nats dropped a nuclear power chimera last week that got no traction. Better for the Government is the great Facebook distraction. Even I fell for that this week and the media has such a conflict of interest on the issue that it can run as a much bigger story than it really is. For instance, Christian values promoter, Paul Kelly, saw fit to ignore the rape protection racket running parliament in order to focus on Facebook.
But that wont last, either. Facebook holds the whip hand. The hypocritical media has tried to bully it into paying for content but it has instead walked away from carrying it. Why not? If it were a supermarket carrying newspapers and it said ‘no thanks’ would anybody care? Facebook will lose a bit of revenue out of it but it was going to lose that anyway if it paid. And an Australian precedent that rolls out globally as Facebook paying for content everywhere would be far more damaging. Facebook has taken the China route. It’s going to make an example of what not to do out of Australia.
So, ScoMo’s rape protection racket is going to need something much bigger and darker to pull the wool over our eyes. What might it be? Perhaps ten new coal and nuclear power plants for QLD? The pandemic might deliver a new crisis. But that’s based upon luck and vaccines are not the Government’s friend. There is also China. Morrison could seek a bigger stoush which would certainly wedge Labor.
This is where my thoughts turn dark. The Government has another “nuclear” option in its own dirt files. It could start drip-feeding these into the press. For years, there has been a gentlemen’s agreement between the parties and press to keep dodgy behaviour in the parliament secret. That’s why the recent 4Corners material so upset the Government. Labor infractions are certain to exist so the Government could shift towards a Trumpian mutually assured destruction strategy that drags Labor into a bottomless pit of disgrace. That’s better for it than being exposed by itself.
You can always gauge the remaining shelf-life of any politician by the degree to which the population still listens to them. Once people shut down to the PM’s words owing to boredom, disenchantment, or datedness, it’s all over. In Morrison’s case, it is far worse. When he opens his mouth, a rising tide of disgust drowns his words. The Government may reason that if the rape protection racket can embroil Labor then the polity will stop listening to Canberra altogether and reset voting intentions to default.
As we’ve seen around the world, the psychological damage by the pandemic to humans unhinges populations. Australians have been compliant. But it has cost them money, lifestyle and routine. All of these things result in anxiety and anger. Morrison’s rape protection racket has presented the PM as an obvious target for the projection of this collective angst (which is in no way intended to mean that he does not deserve it). One way to remove himself from disgrace is to disgrace everybody else. In a battle of shamelessness, Scott Morrison will win hands down.
We may be on the verge of the ugliest year of Australian politics that anybody can remember.
If Any of these stories has raised issues for you, please contact
Sexual assault support services:
Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (24 hours): 02 6247 2525
1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732
Lifeline (24 hour crisis line): 131 114
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
THE SEXUAL HARRASSMENT AND RAPE CULTURE OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
Former MP makes bombshell claims against Labor Party
An ex-MP has levelled bombshell accusations against Labor, with claims of inaction against sexual harassment and a “boys’ club culture of cover up”.
A former Labor MP has levelled a series of bombshell accusations against Labor, accusing the party of showing a continued “disdain” for women and employing a “cover up culture” towards abuse and slut-shaming.
Emma Husar, the former Member for Lindsay, made the accusations in a lengthy open letter to Labor leader Anthony Albanese, which was posted to Twitter on Wednesday. In the statement, Ms Husar said she can no longer stay silent about issues within the Labor Party now the “toxic treatment” of women in parliament was dominating headlines once more. “Following the false allegations about me, leaked by the Labor Party’s ‘confidential’ investigation, I have patiently waited for you to do the right thing,” she wrote. “To call out the poor behaviour in the ALP, the ill process it subjected me to and to apologise, as you said you would in our meeting on September 25, 2019, at which you stated I deserved and was owed ‘nothing short of a public apology’.”
As questions are asked over power imbalances in ministerial offices, a report into alleged bullying is being withheld from a staffer who was sacked after making a complaint. By Karen Middleton. Exclusive: Government refuses to release staff bullying report
Bill Shorten accused of raping 16-year-old girl in 1986. Victorian police are investigating
BY SHANE DOWLING ON NOVEMBER 29, 2013 • ( 83 COMMENTS )
The Victorian police are currently investigating ALP Leader Bill Shorten for raping a 16-year-old girl in 1986. The mainstream media reported earlier this month that a “Senior ALP figure” was being investigated for rape but failed to name Bill Shorten although there is nothing to stop them from doing so.
Given Mr Shorten’s position as a potential Prime Minister every Australian has a right to know about the police investigation and we should expect a fully detailed explanation from Mr Shorten immediately. Failing that he should resign. His current tactics of hiding behind a lawyer and barrister will not do.
The average person can and do get named by the media all the time when serious allegations are made against them and even more so when the police are investigating. So what makes Bill Shorten so special?
Background
The alleged victim started looking for help online in about mid-September which seems to have started on Kevin Rudd’s Facebook page where she wrote the below:
REVEALED: Ex-Labor leader Bill Shorten was warned by a mysterious ‘Deep Throat’ that a historic rape allegation against him was set to ‘blow up’ his chances of becoming prime minister just weeks before the election
'Liberal Party Deep Throat' sparked Labor election fear of a looming sex scandal
Distressed Bill Shorten hired high-powered lawyers to fight claim, new book says
Fears groundless as claim was 30 years old, already investigated and unproven
Liberal Party denies it sent in any 'mole' to derail Labour before the election
Woman who accuses Opposition Leader Bill Shorten of rape says police failed her
A WOMAN who claims she was raped by federal Labor leader Bill Shorten has accused Victoria Police of failing to investigate properly because of his position of power.
Earlier this year, authorities decided not to press charges against Mr Shorten because prosecutors felt that “there was no reasonable prospect of conviction”.
The woman, Kathy, asked that her surname not be published, but agreed to be photographed.
Interviewed by the Herald Sun in Queensland, she said the trauma of what she says happened to her had been exacerbated by what she sees as an inadequate police investigation.
WATCH the full VIDEO in the Herald Sun's EXCLUSIVE interview. removed = page does not exist
“I had three main witnesses ... I gave them the phone number of one, her maiden and married names, told them she lived in Melbourne.
“The police told me they couldn’t find her,” Kathy said.
“But they went to all of Bill’s friends,’’ she said.
Mr Shorten’s press secretary Ryan Liddell last night referred to Mr Shorten’s statement in August: “The claim has now been thoroughly and rigorously investigated by police, as is entirely proper.’’
Innovation and Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash has withdrawn comments deemed highly offensive by Labor after she repeatedly threatened to name "every young woman" in Bill Shorten's office about whom she has heard rumours.
I am including here another former Australian labour gov't minister accused of rape
A former Catholic priest has admitted to a judge he exploited vulnerable children in poor Asian countries, after pleading guilty to dozens of child sexual offences.
Key points:
Hansen has an adopted son in Vietnam and has volunteered in overseas detention centres
He told the court he felt both ashamed and guilty and thinks often about his victims
The court heard he turned to the church after realising his "sexual proclivities" were "abnormal"
Peter Andrew Hansen was arrested in October 2018 at Sydney Airport on his way back from Vietnam.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers conducted a search warrant at his home in Cabramatta in Sydney's south-west.
The 63-year-old has admitted to more than 30 offences, including possessing and distributing child exploitation material and sexual intercourse with children.
The NSW District Court has heard the offending took place in Vietnam and the Philippines.
Hansen, a former Labor Party branch secretary who has been in prison since his arrest, today told the court he feels both ashamed and guilty and often thinks about his victims.
"I exploited them," he said on a video link from prison.
"I didn't only exploit their age, I also exploited the fact they came from a poor Asian country and I exploited their vulnerability.
"In doing that, I not only contravened society's standards, I think I also used and manipulated to my own advantage a power imbalance between me and them."
Hansen was a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Melbourne until he resigned from the ministry in 2011.
Who was Bill Landeryou, the Hawke ally at the centre of rape allegations?
Late Labor figure Bill Landeryou has been accused of rape by the daughter of Bob Hawke, Rosslyn Dillon — claims that were allegedly smothered by Hawke.
Former NSW Labor minister Milton Orkopoulos has been charged with 15 new child sex abuse offences.
Detectives arrested the former Swansea MP at his cell inside Silverwater Jail in western Sydney this morning.
The 62-year-old is accused of sexually abusing two young boys at Lake Macquarie and on the Mid-North Coast in the 1990s.
The fresh charges include five counts of aggravated sexual assault and three counts of causing a child to participate in child prostitution.
The convicted paedophile spent 11 years in prison for child sex offences.
Orkopoulos, who served as Aboriginal affairs minister under former premier Morris Iemma, was released on parole last year.
However, he was put back behind bars after allegedly breaching his parole.
He is expected to appear in Newcastle Court via audio visual link tomorrow.
Okopolous served in Parliament from 1999 to 2006 and was a Lake Macquarie councillor for four years.
NSW Police Superintendent Danny Sullivan said the alleged offences took place "all the way through" the 1990s.
He could not go into specific details about how Orkopoulos and the boys knew one another with those details to come out in court.
He said the police had offered counselling and support to the alleged victims.
"These matters are very delicate and when a victim comes forward we're very conscious of the trauma that coming forward may cause them.
"We have very experienced detectives who work with those victims on this journey to where we are today with someone being charged with 15 offences," Superintendent Sullivan said.
He also said he could not elaborate on the charges of causing a child to participate in child prostitution.
"They're very difficult matters and they arise directly from the investigation, and they'll be put before the court as that person has now been charged."
Labor think they’re ‘above the law’, former minister alleges
Eddie Obeid lashes Labor 'cowards', says ICAC inquiry was a 'sham'
By Sarah Gerathy, Peter Lloyd and Alex McDonald
Posted ThuThursday 1 AugAugust 2013 at 6:06am, updated ThuThursday 1 AugAugust 2013 at 11:19am
F**k the premier’: Labor’s secret tapes reveal industrial scale stackathon
An investigation by The Age and 60 Minutes has unearthed dozens of phone and video recordings captured over 12 months that provide an unprecedented insight into Somyurek's operation. Beneath the bravado and deal-making of a chronically ambitious politician is a self-described "stackathon" that has funnelled hundreds of fake members into local ALP branches, to seize control of large sections of the Victorian Labor Party and become a powerbroker with unrivalled influence.
The recordings reveal Somyurek ordering others to forge signatures and create dozens of false statements in which Labor branch members claim to have paid for their memberships when Somyurek or his political operatives have footed the bill. He also talks about directing taxpayer-funded parliamentary employees – who themselves claim to have the backing of their bosses – to conduct party political operations. Somyurek's misconduct appears to breach ALP rules designed to stop branch stacking and may also breach the law.
If Any of these stories has raised issues for you, please contact
Sexual assault support services:
Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (24 hours): 02 6247 2525
1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732
Lifeline (24 hour crisis line): 131 114
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
Pathetic leadership = pathetic policy = pathetic cabinet = pathetic governance
https://theaimn.com/pathetic-leadership-pathetic-policy-pathetic-cabinet-pathetic-governance/
December 23, 2020
Written by: John Lord
So, let us take a look at the current Ministry, analyse the performance of the incumbent Ministers and throw in the changes.
Clive Palmer spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads condemning Asic
Many of the ads attacked Shipton over $118,000 in tax advice that he received at Asic’s expense. The benefit was investigated by Treasury and Shipton was cleared of any wrongdoing. However, he agreed with the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, that he would step down early and Asic is advertising for a permanent replacement.
Some of the ads described the payment as a “rort” or called Shipton “shifty Shipton”.
Others complained that Asic would not release documents about Shipton under freedom of information, drew links between Shipton and the Chinese government, and called for him to “be removed from his Asic position permanently”.
The AFR ran 23 anti-Asic ads, the highest number among the mastheads Guardian Australia looked at. The SMH ran 15, the Age 12 and the Australian five
ANTISOCIAL MEDIA
The ABC reports that in response to the proposed news media bargaining code, social media giant Facebook has announced that it will “restrict publishers and people in Australia from sharing or viewing Australian and international news content”.
A statement released by Facebook declares that “the proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content”, and they lay out the different impacts of the restrictions on different audiences.
In addition to changes to how the platform can be used in Australia, the restrictions will mean that people overseas “cannot view or share Australian news content on Facebook or content from Australian news pages”.
SOURCE
MAN AT CENTRE OF RAPE ALLEGATION CHECKS INTO HOSPITAL
Note: This story discusses sexual assault and suicidal ideation.
According to The Daily Telegraph ($), a former Liberal staffer at the centre of the Morrison government’s rape scandal has checked himself into a Sydney hospital seeking psychiatric care, with the paper noting the man has not self harmed but was concerned.
Today, news.com.au reports that Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith and the President of the Senate Scott Ryan have joined the list of people privy to some details of an “incident” alleged to have happened at Parliament House, which, two years later, former Liberal staffer Ms..... this week publicly announced to be an alleged rape. The revelations come from the Presiding Officers of Parliament House detailing negotiations with the Australian Federal Police around handing over CCTV footage of the night in question.
Yesterday,Ms....s declared the Morrison government has “questions to answer” over its handling of the incident, urged Scott Morrison not to engage in victim-blaming rhetoric, and announced she was only made aware of some details of the night after going public this week; “I didn’t know that security guards let me into Minister [Linda] Reynolds suite. I didn’t know that a security guard came into the office multiple times seeing me in a state of undress.
Following criticism over appointing a Liberal MP to review how Liberal MP handle complaints of sexual harassment, Morrison yesterday announced an independent review, The Sydney Morning Herald notes.
PS: After Anthony Albanese yesterday suggested Labor would be updating its sexual harassment policy, The Australian ($) reports that ALP’s working group on the issue last year identified 11 flaws the party faces i.e. “political tribalism”, “power imbalances”, and “impact on career trajectory”.
Lifeline: 13 11 14. 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
source
https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/02/18/court-out/
Comments