Lawmaker slams sexual assault in Aussie Senate

AN AUSTRALIAN lawmaker on Thursday detailed allegations that she had been sexually “assaulted” in parliament, stating the building was “not a safe place” for women to work.

In a tearful Senate address, independent Lidia Thorpe said she had been subjected to “sexual comments,” cornered in a stairwell, “inappropriately touched” and “propositioned” by “powerful men.”

Thorpe had on Wednesday accused a fellow senator of “sexually assaulting” her, before being forced to withdraw the remark under threat of parliamentary sanction.

On Thursday, Thorpe restated the core of her allegations against conservative David Van, who has strenuously denied the claims.

Van said he was “shattered and battered” by the allegations, telling local media they were “utterly untrue.”

Van’s Liberal Party suspended him Thursday over the claims.

While the allegations were protected from Australia’s severe defamation laws, Thorpe said that Van had engaged lawyers in the matter and she had to restate her case to navigate parliamentary rules.

Saying that “sexual assault” meant different things to different people, Thorpe described her experiences in the crucible of Australian democracy.

“What I experienced was being followed, aggressively propositioned and inappropriately touched,” she said.

“I was afraid to walk out of the office door. I would open the door slightly and check the coast was clear before stepping out,” she told lawmakers.