Senator says Australian Parliament 'not safe for women'

ANKARA

Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe on Thursday called the Parliament building unsafe for women.

A day earlier, Independent Senator Thorpe accused Liberal Senator David Van of sexually assaulting her.

However on Thursday, while speaking in the Senate she withdrew her allegations.

"Yesterday on my remarks in relation to another senator. I then had to withdraw them because the rules of the Senate do not allow you to speak about someone's character," Thorpe said in her personal statement in the Senate, aired by Canberra Times.

Thorpe added that when she started as a new senator she experienced sexual comments and was inappropriately propositioned by powerful men.

"One man followed me and cornered me in a stairwell. And most of this was witnessed by staff and fellow members of parliament," she said without disclosing the name of anyone and when it happened.

Thorpe has been senator from Victoria since 2020, and was the first Aboriginal senator from that state.

Earlier, she was part of the Australian Greens. However, in February 2023 she quit her party over difference on the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an advisory body to Parliament and the government.

"I did not make the incident public at the time. Because it was during the time Brittany Higgins had made her experience in this building public I did not want to have anything taken away from Britney's experience and her bravery in coming forward," she said.

In 2021, Higgins claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by a senior colleague inside a senior government minister's office in 2019.

After Higgins’ allegations, thousands of women held protests in Australia demanding better protection for women in the workplace. The news also sparked widespread concern and debate about the treatment and harassment of women in the Australian Parliament House.

Later, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologized to Higgins for the way her rape complaint was initially handled.

Thorpe also demanded to improve security of Parliament, install cameras in the corridors and to consult women who are working in the Parliament building on measures to be taken.

She also announced that she will not take any legal action against the senator but will continue to speak out against the abuse and harassment that happens in the Parliament building.

"That is my choice. I want to focus on making this place safe for everyone."

Senator ​​​​​​​Van rejected her allegations, saying: "I reject it, it’s just not true.”

Later on Thursday Van was suspended from the Liberal party.

"Since the airing of Senator Thorpe's allegation yesterday, further allegations in relation to Senator Van have been brought to my attention overnight and this morning, as such, I met with Senator Van this morning and a short time ago I advised Senator Van of my decision that he should no longer sit in the Liberal Party partyroom," Canberra Times quoted Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as saying.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid​​​​​​​