Labor must face its bully culture

LABOR talks big about female representation in parliament but I fail to see the point if these women cannibalise each other.

Mean girls who have never graduated emotionally from high school do not belong in leadership roles.

They should not be making decisions which impact our lives, and pretending to champion the cause of women, if they themselves make poor choices through spiteful behaviour.

If they deserve any platform whatsoever it is in pop culture where they can be satirised, as in the 2004 American film Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan.

The movie is loosely based on Rosalind Wiseman’s nonfiction book, Queen Bees and Wannabes, which examines the horrible impacts of high school cliques and bullying on teenagers.

Labor’s alleged Queen Bees are the Senate leadership team of Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally and Katy Gallagher, who have denied accusations of bullying their late colleague Kimberley Kitching.

Family and friends of 52-yearold Ms Kitching insist her treatment by the trio contributed to her death of a suspected heart attack on March 10.

At her funeral this week, Ms Kitching’s husband blamed a “cantankerous cabal” within Labor for undermining her, and said she deserved better.

I find it staggering that Anthony Albanese, who is itching to grab the keys to The Lodge, is dodging these very serious allegations of bullying within his party.

That should not be the end of it. Labor has previously identified the need for behavioural change within parliament and also for the improved treatment of women in society more broadly, yet when the proverbial hits the fan as it has with these damning allegations – including from Ms Kitching herself – the party is stunningly silent.

Mr Albanese has flat out refused an inquiry into the allegations, while others within Labor have glibly accused the Coalition of politicising the matter. What a disgrace.

Last week Ms Wong did admit to making an “insensitive” comment to her late colleague. It occurred at a senior Labor senate leadership meeting about climate protests in 2019 when Ms Wong told Ms Kitching, “if you had children, you might understand”.

Ms Wong fired off the hurtful barb after Ms Kitching argued a Greens Senate motion that supported school students engaging in civil disobedience at climate protests was “virtue signalling”.

She later apologised to Ms Kitching, who wanted children but was unable to have any.

Last week Senators Wong, Keneally and Gallagher issued a statement denying all allegations of bullying against Ms Kitching.

“Politics is a challenging profession,” the statement read.

“Contests can be robust and interactions difficult. All of its participants at times act or speak in ways that can impact on others negatively. We have and do reflect on this, as individuals and as leaders.”

Reflection is not enough. Not by a long shot.

I don’t always agree with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, but on Wednesday he nailed it.

“Serious allegations have been made. Not by the Liberal Party, but by members of the Labor Party, about a toxic culture within the Labor Party,” Mr Morrison said.

“From what we’ve got from

1827

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, 56, dies in Vienna, Austria.

1857

Convicts from a prison hulk batter the inspector-general of prisons, John Price, while he is investigating their complaints about rations, near Williamstown in Victoria. He dies the next day. Seven prisoners are later hanged.

1863

Bushranger Harry Manns, 24, is hanged – twice – at Darlinghurst Jail. The first time the rope is incorrectly adjusted and anchors around his head. Blood spurts from his nose but after about 10 minutes he isn’t dead, so he is lifted down, then hanged again. He robbed a gold escort on June 15, 1862, with Alexander Fordyce and John Bow who are granted mercy by the governor and have their sentences commuted.

1871

A general council of 90 members is elected to run the Paris Commune.

1885

The first commercial motion picture film is manufactured by Eastman Dry Plate and Film Co.

1917

The First Battle of Gaza against Ottoman forces begins in Palestine.

1935

At least 140 people die and 21 pearling boats are lost as a cyclone hits Broome.

1941

The Australian trawler Millimumul strikes a German-laid mine off the NSW Central Coast, killing seven of its crew of 12.

1945

The drawn-out Battle of Iwo Jima ends after about 21,000 Japanese troops and 6800 US fighters are killed.

1953

Dr Jonas Salk announces that he has successfully tested a vaccine against the crippling disease polio.

1992

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson (pictured) is sentenced to six years in prison for rape.