Here’s the fallout from Michaelia Cash‘s outburst yesterday, during which she threatened to name every female staffer in Bill Shorten‘s office about which there are supposedly “rumours”: those staffers are now bracing for impact.
Sky News reported that that staffers have warned their families to prepare for “unfounded rumours” about them sleeping with ministers.
It also reported that Liberal staffers say any female staffer who moves from one office to another will now be the subject of speculation over supposed affairs.
Staffers say they’ve warned relatives to prepare for unfounded rumours about them sleeping with ministers. pic.twitter.com/akNAnuEfwS
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) February 28, 2018
Cool! Seems like a real fun time to be a woman in politics in 2018, or any other year, really.
Cash, the current Minister for Jobs and Innovation and the former Minister for Women, was forced to withdraw her “outrageous slurs” in a Senate Estimates hearing yesterday after a furious Penny Wong marched down to the hearing and demanded she do so.
“I think it’s disgraceful and sexist, and it’s impugning of the character of various staff. I would ask the Minister to withdraw,” she said.
After a short refusal, Cash backed down, offering a non-apology in the vein of “if anyone has been offended by my remarks, I withdraw.”
There’s also a shit tonne of fallout for Cash personally, too. Tony Abbott called her outburst a “brain snap” (like he has much ground to stand on), Tanya Plibersek is demanding an apology, and Brendan O’Connor, the Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, is calling for her to step down.
Sky News also reports that Cash has been counselled by her fellow Cabinet colleagues over her remarks, so there’s that.
And honestly, we’re just gonna hand it to whoever is managing the Australian Unions Twitter account for this zinger:
Turnbull should do two things:
1. Force Michaelia Cash to resign.
2. Abandon trickle-down economics.
Because cash doesn’t fall unless it’s made to.
— Australian Unions (@unionsaustralia) February 28, 2018
