A senior government minister says allegations high-ranking female Labor senators “bullied” the late senator Kimberley Kitching are proof the party “doesn’t support women”.
Senator Kitching died unexpectedly last week of a suspected heart attack at just 52.
Her death has raised questions about stress and ostracisation that she may have faced in the last few months at the hands of her Labor colleagues.
Allegations have aired this week that Senator Kitching was on the receiving end of hostile behaviour and humiliation from the party, most notably from senators Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher.
The Australian newspaper described the conduct of the senators as “mean girl” behaviour, but Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese rubbished the claims on Wednesday, labelling them extraordinarily disrespectful.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for the “distressing claims” not to be dismissed.
And despite calls from the Labor Party and even the Liberal Party vice-president not to politicise the issue, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews made the leap on Thursday.
“The Labor Party likes to portray itself as the party to represent and support women,” she told Sky News.
“My experience of the Labor Party is that could not be further from the truth.
“And I think what we’re seeing being played out now is really what the Labor Party and particularly the Greens are really about.
“They don’t stand up for women. They don’t support women, and they need to.”
Labor’s spokesperson for women, Tanya Plibersek, had been asked about the allegations earlier in the morning but refused to be drawn on whether the party should apologise.
Ms Plibersek said she had seen “absolutely nothing” to suggest Senator Kitching had been bullied but called out the political attacks.
“I’m just not going to get into this. We haven’t even had (her) funeral yet. I don’t think it’s appropriate to be making this into a political issue,” she told Sky News.
“We have lost a colleague way too young. We want to respect the wishes of her family and support her husband and her friends in any way that we can.”
Federal Liberal vice-president Teena McQueen, who came to know Senator Kitching during their regular co-appearances on Sky News, said the allegations against senators Wong, Gallagher and Keneally were, from her perspective, true.
“Penny Wong and Keneally in particular were absolutely vile towards her. Publicly, privately, she was ostracised within the House and it was incredibly cruel what they put her through,” she told 2GB.
“Her only fault is that she was a woman of principle … She used the term iced out. They felt that she wasn’t true to their cause oxjmtzywr true to Labor, but she was.”
She said Liberal senators who had had offices near Senator Kitching would be able to back up the claims.
Ms McQueen added that Mr Albanese calling the reporting of allegations against the three senators “disrespectful” was even more disrespectful to Senator Kitching.
“There is no way that hypocrites should stand up and mourn a magnificent human being (at her funeral on Monday) when they gave her no respect or support when she was alive,” she said.
“This is not a political thing for me … I cannot sit back and listen to the bullsh*t coming from those who caused her so much pain.”
Senators Wong and Gallagher said they disagreed with the allegations, adding it wasn’t appropriate to discuss the matter while people were grieving.
