THE SQUIZ
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe made good on her promise to provide context to the accusations of harassment and assault she made against Victorian Liberal Senator David Van on Wednesday. She withdrew those claims, but yesterday she delivered a tearful statement to the Senate. While not naming the person/people involved, Thorpe said she was “inappropriately propositioned”, subjected to “sexual comments”, and was touched in the building’s corridors and stairwells. “Yesterday, I had to listen to a senator that has made me feel unsafe to speak about how important it is to keep women safe in Parliament… I could not stay silent,” she said. Thorpe says she will not go to the police and has called for more security and CCTV cameras in the building to deter inappropriate behaviour.

WAS SHE TALKING ABOUT DAVID VAN?
Thorpe didn’t say his name today and referenced the”rules of the Senate” as her reason. But what also unfolded yesterday was the dumping of Senator Van from the Liberal party room after leader Peter Dutton got wind of a separate complaint from former colleague Amanda Stoker who said Van had groped her at a work function in late 2020. An investigation into the claims has kicked off, and Dutton said “I’m not making any judgement on the veracity of the allegations or any individual’s guilt or innocence.” Van – who remains a Liberal Party member as he moves to the crossbench – maintains he’s not a grub and said Thorpe’s allegations are “concocted from beginning to end”. But he did acknowledge that he moved offices inside Parliament House in 2021 – Van and Thorpe were located close together, and she complained at the time that he made her uncomfortable.

IS IT TOO LATE TO ASK WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE?
Never… Thorpe was sworn in as a Green and the first Aboriginal Victorian Senator in 2020. Last year, she came to global attention when she raised a fist and called the Queen a “coloniser” at her swearing-in ceremony. And in February, she quit the Greens and became an Independent over a disagreement over the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Thorpe believes the proposal doesn’t give Indigenous Aussies enough political power. Amanda Stoker was a Liberal-National senator from Queensland until she lost her spot in last year’s election. These days she has a Sunday show on Sky News. As for David Van, until this week, he didn’t have much of a profile. He entered the Senate as a Liberal representative for Victoria in 2019 after working in communications and PR. According to his website, he advised clients “through 4 Royal Commissions and various other inquiries”. So he should know a thing or 2 about crisis management…