Q&A, the nation’s premiere televised forum, was last night tasked with discussing what host Tony Jones described as a “#MeToo moment.” That’s not unusual, given the programme’s history of discussing the grassroots movement against sexual predation in the workplace. What was unusual was the fact Q&A‘s discussion centred around an allegation of impropriety levelled by ousted managing director Michelle Guthrie against the ABC’s former chairman Justin Milne.
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In a landmark investigation of the conflict which threw the national broadcaster into turmoil earlier this year, Four Corners heard from Guthrie, who alleged that Milne touched her back at a dinner last November in a way that felt “icky… unprofessional and inappropriate”.
Guthrie did not file a formal complaint with the ABC. Milne vehemently denied the claim, saying he “never, ever acted inappropriately with Michelle, or indeed with any other woman in the workforce, or any other woman at all,” but the allegation reverberated on Q&A – which aired directly after the Four Corners broadcast.
Panellist Gillian Triggs, the former chief of the Australian Human Rights Commission, was directly asked by an audience member about how public figures and the media should address sexual assault allegations when the accuser wishes to keep the matter private – an especially pertinent issue, considering the statement the ABC’s own journalist Ashleigh Raper made about alleged misconduct by former NSW Labor Party leader Luke Foley after the issue was referenced without her consent in State Parliament.
“If you speak up, women tend to be victimised twice, at least,” Triggs said.
“They suffer all sorts of problems. And that is why, we have figures both from our own research at the Australian Human Rights Commission and globally, that probably one in ten, or even as few as one in twenty, will ever report an incident of sexual harassment”.
When asked by Jones about how corporate boards handle similar allegations Triggs said “corporate boards clearly have a responsibility to deal directly with the matter” rather than letting the accuser face the (likely) negative effects of taking their claims into the public sphere.
How can we respect the privacy of victims of sexual harrassment, while still encouraging women to speak out? #QandA pic.twitter.com/QfDLDDHBln
— QandA (@QandA) November 12, 2018
Assistant Minister for Treasury and Finance Zed Zeselja, along with Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen, reiterated the need for survivors of sexual assault and harassment to express their allegations, privately or publically, without the fear of reprisals.
.@ZedSeselja, @Bowenchris and John Anderson on how we navigation #MeToo allegations #QandA pic.twitter.com/ZvAqSOLTq1
— QandA (@QandA) November 12, 2018
The search for answers on how to best handle such allegations, while allowing those involved to express safely their perspectives, wasn’t exactly completed on Q&A, not least because another high-level allegation of improper conduct at the highest level of the ABC has now been aired in public.
It’s a complex issue, and you can watch the panellists tease out the intricacies HERE.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or assault, you can call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for access to 24/7 support.
