Ministerial Statement

Parliamentary Privilege

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:19): I make a ministerial statement on the subject of parliamentary privilege and the 2019 Christmas party allegations. On 8 September 2021, the Hon. Ms Franks, under parliamentary privilege, made a series of allegations in this chamber in relation to events of December 2019. During that speech the Hon. Ms Franks indicated that, 'I have heard many rumours.' She went on to state:

I believe that a staffer who was accompanying and with the member for Waite at the time urinated in a corner of an MPs office, before turning around with his penis still exposed, waving his appendage into the breeze, with his arms in the air calling out, 'Touch it, touch it'.

An independent investigation was conducted into these claims. That independent investigation has found that there was no evidence that any staffer urinated in the corner of an office and then turned around and exposed himself. The investigation did find that there was evidence of staff behaving in a lewd and drunken manner.

In the speech made under parliamentary privilege, the Hon. Ms Franks also made the following claim:

The member for Waite made his disruptive entrance into the lower ground floor corridor function of the crossbenchers from that first floor-level function in the Balcony Room as a Liberal female staff member appeared to be in some haste to reach her office and escape him. When she got to that corner office she slammed the door behind her. It caught members of the crossbench drinks event's attention and concern. To the bystanders it now appears that she was seeking to escape his attentions and, indeed, did so successfully for that moment.

Further on in her speech the Hon. Ms Franks said:

We crossbenchers and others were not the only ones impacted by that bad and harassing behaviour that night. I will return to the start of the speech, where the Liberal staffer went hurriedly through our gathering, slamming the office door behind her. He, of course, seemed in pursuit, but then was alerted to his potential new prey.

The independent investigation also spoke to this staff member about that allegation by the Hon. Ms Franks. The staff member told the investigation that she did hurry to her office that day to get her bag and shoes and was not running away from anyone. No-one acted inappropriately towards her that evening. The Hon. Ms Franks had never spoken to her about the events of that night. She did not know why the Hon. Ms Franks made the statement that she did in parliament.

Whilst only a minor matter, it does throw light on the accuracy of the rumours on which the Hon. Ms Franks based her speech. The Hon. Ms Franks did state that the Liberal Party function was held in the Balcony Room at Parliament House; that also was not correct.

Parliamentary privilege is, as the name suggests, a privilege afforded to all members of parliament. This privilege should be used by members with caution and common sense and based on fact. Sadly, the contribution from the Hon. Ms Franks does not meet that standard, as she confessed that, in part, her speech was based on rumours she had heard.