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June 15, 2023
Thursday 15 June 2023
Doorstop, Canberra
Subjects: Senator Thorpe, Senator Gallagher
QUESTION: Before withdrawing that comment last night, Senator Thorpe made some pretty serious allegations towards Senator Van. Can I get your response to those allegations?
JAMES PATERSON: Certainly, the allegations that Senator Thorpe made are serious. Senator Van has denied them. And as you know, Senator Thorpe has withdrawn them. She's also foreshadowed that she plans to make a further statement in the Senate this morning. And without the benefit of knowing what is going to be in that statement, I'm very limited in how I can comment.
QUESTION: Without pre-empting that statement this morning, is the party taking this seriously?
PATERSON: Allegations like these always have to be taken seriously and I'm sure we'll be listening closely to whatever further statements that Senator Thorpe has to make today.
QUESTION: Do you have any knowledge of the incident that she's alleged to have happened?
PATERSON: No, I don't have any firsthand knowledge of this incident.
QUESTION: It's been a pretty ugly week in parliament. Has the standard in this place actually improved in the past two years?
PATERSON: It's been a tough week in the parliament. I agree. But I would say it was no tougher than the many weeks of scrutiny that Linda Reynolds and Michaelia Cash faced when these allegations about the mishandling or alleged mishandling of the Brittany Higgins matter were first raised. They were tough weeks in the parliament, too. And unfortunately, we have to accept, particularly those of us who have the honour of being a minister of the crown, that we face scrutiny for all of our conduct, for the things that we say, for how we handle things. And it reflects on us how we respond to those questions. Thank you.
ENDS
