Former Labor MP Emma Husar has called on acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge to get the sack after a Four Corners investigation alleged he was involved in a culture of sexism and affairs inside the Liberal Party. Husar herself was disendorsed by her own party in 2018 after her own media scandal.
On Monday night, the program alleged acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge objectified female staffers and even had an affair with one. He was also accused for helping protect his mates in the Liberal Party who had even more serious accusations against them.
Now Husar has shared a screenshot of Tudge claiming to protect “Australian values”, despite allegedly being a part of this hidden culture of sexism, which most people would agree is not something that’s consistent with whatever you want to claim as “Australian values”.
“Australian values?” she wrote.
“Me: forced to resign on false, defamatory allegations by fired staff who tried to extort me, had case thrown out of Fair Work.”
She then called on Scott Morrison to sack Tudge and Attorney-General Christian Porter, who was the focus of the Four Corners episode.
Australian values?
Me: forced to resign on false, defamatory allegations by fired staff who tried to extort me, had case thrown out of Fair WK an entitled private school boy who didn’t like having a lady boss. #tudge #porter must go @ScottMorrisonMP #auspol pic.twitter.com/5wdwY5wV4O
— I’m just Emma 👑 (@emma_husar) November 9, 2020
Husar was referring to the fact that Tudge’s career appears not to have been affected by the bombshell Four Corners report. Despite the accusations dating back from years ago, he only said he “regretted” his past actions this week.
Meanwhile, back in 2018, Husar’s own career as an MP was brought to an end by similar media reports that she sexually harassed staff, bullied people in her office and stole money.
Although she settled out of court and got the sexual harassment claims retracted, an internal Labor review did uphold the claims made about Husar’s management style and she also paid back $2,300 for breaching travel expense rules.
We can look at this two ways.
A female MP lost her job over accusations made in the media, while a male MP didn’t. Or, a Labor MP lost her job over accusations made in the media, while a Liberal MP didn’t.
Either way, it appears to show a double standard between how Husar and Tudge have been treated and the fact that politicians who built their brand on family values can allegedly get away with this kind of behavior says a lot about the integrity of them and their colleagues.
Perhaps former PM Malcolm Turnbull said it best on Four Corners on Monday: “There’s no question that some of the most trenchant opponents of same-sex marriage, all in the name of traditional marriage, were at the same time enthusiastic practitioners of traditional adultery.”
It’s just a pity he didn’t do more to sort it out while he had the chance.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Husar paid back $200,000 for breaching expense rules. The actual sum was $2,300.
