Liberal Senator David Van is facing a second allegation he sexually harassed a fellow senator.
Former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker alleged the under-fire Senator indecently assaulted her at a function three years ago.
“He did so by squeezing my bottom twice,” Ms Stoker said.
“By its nature and by its repetition, it was not accidental. That action was not appropriate. It was unprofessional and uninvited.”
The former assistant minister for women said she raised the incident within the Liberal Party, but was moved to reveal the allegation after hearing Senator Van’s denial.
‘He apologised’
“He apologised and said he would never do it again. I accepted his apology and his undertaking,” Ms Stoker said.
“I promptly advised a senior female colleague about the incident, and of the action I had taken.
“I did so to ensure that if there were any other incidents of which I was not aware, or any future reports, they could be dealt with appropriately.
“I would have preferred that the matter be resolved privately and finally – as I thought it was. However, following Senator Thorpe’s allegations, it is now clear that is no longer tenable,” Ms Stoker said.
Senator Van confirmed on Thursday night that he had discussed the issue with a party colleague at the time.
“I had no recollection of any such event and can confirm it is not something I would ever do,” he said.
The allegation follows another levelled by independent Senator Lidia Thorpe on Thursday, leading to his expulsion from the Liberal party room.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced that decision following the emergence of new allegations against Senator Van, but did not take questions or clarify how many or who had made them.
Senator Van’s move to the crossbench reflects a parliamentary week described as an “abomination”.
An attempt to revive the issue of women’s safety in the workplace in politics two years after a national reckoning on the issue rebounded badly on the Coalition, but reflected most poorly on the Parliament.
Setting the standard
On Wednesday, Senator Van was speaking about the handling of the case of Brittany Higgins and on the need for Parliament to “set the standard” in handling workplace harassment when he was interrupted by Senator Thorpe.
She interjected and then called him a “perpetrator” and alleged he had sexually assaulted her.
On Thursday, she expanded on her experience of sexual harassment in Parliament.
“There are different understandings of what amounts to sexual assault,” the crossbench senator said.
“What I experienced was being followed aggressively, propositioned and inappropriately touched.
“To me, it was sexual assault. One man followed me and cornered me in the stairwell, and most of this was witnessed by … staff and a fellow (senator),” Senator Thorpe said.
“No one witnessed what happened in the stairwell as there were no cameras in stairwells. I know there are others that have experienced similar things.”
Senator Van denied the allegation, but said he had moved his parliamentary office away from Senator Thorpe’s in 2021.
“She made an allegation to our leadership through her leadership that I was following her into the chamber, which made her feel uncomfortable,” he told 2GB.
From lobbyist to senator
Senator Van’s career has not been without controversy. He denied but still apologised for making growling and barking noises while Senator Jacqui Lambie was speaking in the Senate in 2021.
In his maiden speech he spoke of having been the product of a “perfect” childhood.
“My life has always been full of the most wonderful women,” he said. “My sisters Kristine, Lisa and Madeleine and my niece Lucia have given me so much joy and I love them all very much.”
Before entering Parliament in 2019, the low-profile Senator Van worked as a lobbyist for clients including a conglomerate of the world’s largest IT companies, and oil and gas companies.
Last year he flew to Ukraine against security advice and at the expense of a weapons manufacturer, DefendTex, whose drones he later spruiked in the Senate.
Declarations to the Senate show he has frequently enjoyed the hospitality from foreign embassies, ranging from the gift of a Louis Vuitton tie and essential oils from the United Arab Emirates to Herradura tequila from Mexico.
‘Very disappointed’
“This week in question time has been an abomination,” said the Greens leader in the Senate, Larissa Waters.
The Coalition had sought to revive the case of its former staffer Brittany Higgins, whose 2021 TV interview alleging she was raped in the office of the former defence minister shook the foundations of Australian politics.
Changing the equation this time are leaks of Ms Higgins’ personal communications, initially provided to the courts and police, but which have been reprinted in News Corporation reports this week.
Citing unsourced leaked private text messages, News Corp has reported that Finance Minister Katy Gallagher learned Ms Higgins had granted a bombshell interview to Channel Ten days before it aired.
The Coalition has used those reports to argue Labor sought to “weaponise” Ms Higgins’ case.
In the Senate on Thursday afternoon Senator Gallagher’s voice quavered as she spoke of those privacy breaches.
“I am very disappointed at this week,” she said.
“[I’m sorry for] the work we’ve done on [Kate Jenkins’ review into Parliament’s workplace culture] respect at work; on asking women to come forward when something happens to them; and then (to be) treating women the way they are being treated right now,” she said.
“I am very sorry for Brittany Higgins.
“I’m sorry that documents about her personal life have been leaked. I’m sorry that a confidential draft order for compensation found its way into the front pages of a national newspaper.
“And I’m sorry for all the women who won’t come forward now because of this.”
