Lidia Thorpe clears up allegations of sexual assault she made against David Van in the Senate
Lidia Thorpe has doubled down on her allegations of being sexually assaulted in parliament, claiming she was ‘aggressively followed, presented and touched inappropriately’.
The independent senator tearfully said she never spoke publicly about her alleged experience because it happened at the same time that Brittany Higgins came forward with rape allegations.
Thorpe told the Senate she had placed her trust in the Liberal Party that her complaint would be taken seriously.
She said she would not take the complaint to police and did not name Liberal Senator David Van.
However, her accusations on Thursday follow her statement on Wednesday against the fellow Victorian senator, where she accused him of harassment and assault.
Thorpe formally withdraw four hours later to comply with standing orders.
But on Thursday, she doubled down on sexual assault allegations, saying when she started in the Senate in 2020, parliament was “not a safe place” for women.
‘You are often alone in long corridors, without windows, in hidden stairwells where there are no cameras.’
Lidia Thorpe has doubled down on her allegations of being sexually assaulted under parliamentary privilege, claiming she was ‘aggressively followed, presented and touched inappropriately’ – but insisted she would not press charges
Ms Thorpe claimed she was introduced ‘by powerful men and approached in the stairwell, where there are no cameras’.
She said there are “different views on what constitutes assault” and that when she made her complaint to the then government – the Coalition – “it was recognized as such”.
“I was afraid to walk out the office door. I’d open it up a bit and make sure the coast was clear before stepping out,” she said. “I had to be accompanied by someone – that’s how the Greens supported me and I’m grateful for that.”
Ms Thorpe told the Senate she was confident then Prime Minister Scott Morrison had been notified. He said in a statement Wednesday that he has no recollection.
‘I was convinced that the government believed me… my confidence in the Liberal Party was not the right decision.
“Until yesterday I thought they were taking the matter seriously.”
Ms Thorpe said ‘silence is violence’ and noted she had to speak out on Wednesday when Mr Van had ‘the courage to stand up in parliament’ to admit the handling of Brittany Higgins’ complaint in parliament this week to speak.
She will not take legal action or go to the police, but has sworn’continue to speak out against the abuse and harassment taking place in this building.”
‘That’s my choice. I want to focus on making this place safe for everyone. And at the moment it is not a safe place for women and I call on the government to immediately increase the number of security guards in the building and cameras in the corridors and to consult women who work here about what measures can and should be taken. ‘
When Ms. Thorpe finished fleshing out her new allegations and thanked the Senate, One Nation’s Pauline Hanson – who sits next to Ms. Thorpe – made a low-key remark, to which Ms. Thorpe replied, “f**k off Pauline.”
The independent senator tearfully said she had never spoken publicly about her alleged experience because it was around the same time that Brittany Higgins came forward
She told the Senate under parliamentary privilege that she did not want to take away Ms. Higgins’ experience, and placed her trust in the Liberal Party that her complaint was being taken seriously.
Liberal Senator David Van (pictured) says the only time he touched Senator Lidia Thorpe was when he shook hands with her after her maiden speech following the explosive allegations
Just hours earlier, Senator Van had vehemently denied her accusations for a third time, but admitted that he had moved offices after she filed complaints.
Mr Van said Ms Thorpe then made allegations ‘through her guidance to our guidance’ that he closely followed her ‘to the room’ in 2021, and that made her feel ‘uncomfortable’.
Mr Van said it was inevitable to bump into her in the corridors of parliament as they entered the Senate, given the proximity of their offices.
“Sometimes I’ve been in front of her, sometimes I’ve been behind her, but I’ve never bothered her… I’ve barely said goodbye.”
In response to Ms Thorpe’s complaint, Mr Van said he had been ‘offered another office’ further away from hers and accepted.
Ms Thorpe spoke about the two-year-old meeting after Mr Van made a statement about the handling of Brittany Higgins’ sexual assault complaint.
She told the Senate under parliamentary privilege, “I just want to pass on that I feel really uncomfortable when a perpetrator talks about violence…”
“This person harassed me, sexually assaulted me and the Prime Minister should remove him from office.
And for him to talk about it today is an absolute disgrace! To the whole party.’
Mr Van categorically denied the allegations – immediately afterwards in the Senate, several hours later in a media statement and again this morning on 2GB.
“I can say with some certainty that the only time I ever touched her would have been to shake her hand after her maiden speech.
“I haven’t harassed her in any way.”
Mr Van vehemently denied the allegations on Wednesday, insisting that ‘it just isn’t true’, prompting Senator Thorpe to leave the Senate. Above with his partner Nerilee