In my evidence to the joint standing committee on electoral matters, I stated the following: Here is a quote from former deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, from January 2019 – so in the lead-up to the last federal election: Women deserve to be safe and valued at home, on the streets, in our workplaces and in everything they do. And a quote from Senator Penny Wong … of course bullying and intimidation in any workplace are unacceptable. Senator Wong responded to my committee evidence by attacking me.
Today in this place, the member for Sydney said she was “unaware of any harassment by GetUp of the member for Boothby until very recentlyâ€.
I find the member for Sydney’s claim hard to believe, as I was one of only seven Liberal party members on GetUp’s federal election hit list. I was the only woman, the only backbencher and the only one who was not a current or former cabinet minister.
I find it hard to believe that Senator Wong and the Labor members on the committee did not tell the member for Sydney that I had named her in my evidence in September last year.
But, although I find the member for Sydney’s personal explanation today more than a little disingenuous, I don’t want to attack her.
What I say to the Labor party today is that they may not have held the spray can to vandalise my office with sexist slurs and they may not have held the camera pointed at me by the stalker or called me evil in GetUp’s phone calls, but they did create the environment in which hate could flourish.
So I say to the leader of the opposition: what will you do about this? I say to the leader of the opposition: get your own house in order.
And I say to the leader of the opposition: this can’t be about politics any more.
We all bear the responsibility for change.
