Labor leader resigns
But Foley vows to sue on harassment claim
LUKE Foley has resigned as NSW Labor Party leader — but has reiterated his denials that he harassed an ABC journalist and will launch legal proceedings.
“The first thing I’d like to say is that the allegations against me today, made public by the ABC, are false. I’ve retained solicitors and senior counsels to advise on the immediate commencement of defamation proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia,” Mr Foley said.
“However, I can’t fight to clear my name and fight an election at the same time. It’s just not possible to do both.
“Therefore I am resigning the leadership of the Labor Party, effective today. This will enable a new leader to give his or her attention to the task of defeating the Liberal National Government.
“I will be remaining the member for Auburn and re- turning to the backbench.”
Mr Foley refused to answer questions at the press conference and left the room after making the brief statement.
Senior Labor figures encouraged Ms Foley to resign yesterday and had been drafting statements to assist him.
A statement issued by reporter Ashleigh Raper said Mr Foley “put his hand through a gap in the back of my dress and inside my underpants”.
“He rested his hand on my buttocks,” she said.
Ms Raper also claims she had two recent phone conversations with Mr Foley.
The first was on Sunday when Mr Foley apologised and indicated he would resign on Monday or Wednesday.
On Tuesday, he allegedly called again saying he received legal advice against resigning.
Senior Right faction figures expect Michael Daley to be installed as leader as soon as tomorrow. Key Right MPs within Labor have moved their support behind him.
Labor MP Trish Doyle earlier said she would call a leadership spill if Mr Foley didn’t resign.
In a statement, Ms Doyle said politics was “lagging far behind the rest of society in its handling of workplace sexual harassment and bullying”.
Mr Foley had previously denied harassing a then unnamed ABC journalist after he was accused in Parliament by Corrections Minister David Elliott of harassing the reporter after having “a little bit too much to drink at a party”.
Earlier, federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten described it as a “serious matter” but declined to comment further.
“I will go away and get acquainted on the facts,” he told reporters in Perth.