It’s been a bruising couple of days in federal parliament… Yesterday afternoon, Senator Lidia Thorpe accused Liberal Senator David Van of “harassing” and “sexually assaulting” her during his speech criticising the Labor Party for its handling of Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ sexual assault allegations. “I’m feeling really uncomfortable when a perpetrator is speaking about violence,” she said. During the exchange, Van denied the allegation, and Thorpe wouldn’t withdraw it – but last night, she did. She says she will have more to say about it today. Meanwhile, the Coalition’s campaign to find out what Finance Minister Katy Gallagher did with the early information she received about Higgins’ claims continues. Put under the griller again yesterday, she said she had been invited to Higgins’ fiancé David Sharaz’s first wedding in 2019 but did not attend.