Australian Liberal party leader Peter Dutton has called upon his colleague Senator David Van to resign from the parliament after a third allegation of inappropriate touching surfaced against him.
Dutton said he learned about the fresh allegation on Thursday (15 June), the same day he expelled Van from the party room.
“I think it’s in everyone’s best interests that he resign from the parliament sooner than later and seek the help that he needs. I think that would be an appropriate next step,” said Dutton.
“I made a decision yesterday based on all of the information that was available to me. It had come to me overnight and on that morning, I raised it with him. I made a decision and that’s a decision I don’t regret at all,” he added.
“He apologised and said he would never do it again. I accepted his apology and his undertaking. Contemporaneous notes of the meeting were taken and it never happened again,” she said.
On Wednesday, independent Senator Lidia Thorpe alleged in the parliament that she had been “inappropriately touched” and “inappropriately propositioned by powerful men” during her time in the Senate.
“I 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 his staff and fellow members of parliament,” she claimed.
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Although Thorpe said she would not pursue legal action or take her claims to the police, she called on the Labor government to increase security in the Parliament House.
Meanwhile, Van said the allegations were ‘disgraceful’ when quizzed if Dutton’s decision against him was fair.
“I think the allegations made have been disgraceful. I think the way they have been made is disgraceful. To hide under parliamentary privilege I think is a terrible thing to do,” Van told journalists after arriving at Melbourne airport.
“It’s the worst that’s ever…I could not imagine ever being, these allegations being made against me,” he added.
He also went on to accuse the independent senator of “bringing the Senate into disrepute” and “cowering under the umbrella of parliamentary privilege”.
Despite being removed from the party room, Van’s association with the Liberal party is not yet over. His future with the party rests with the Victorian branch, to which he belongs. However, pressure has been rising on the party members to get rid of Van and cut its losses.
(With inputs from agencies)
