Federal Labor MP Emma Husar says vicious ‘slut shaming’ forced her to quit politics.
Ms Husar, a first-term MP for the western Sydney seat of Lindsay, announced this month she would not contest the next election after being accused of bullying staff.
But in a preview of her interview with ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday night, Ms Husar denies calling time on her federal parliamentary career because of such allegations.
The 38-year-old said she quit because of the extraordinary media attention around the harassment claims and ‘the slut shaming that went along with that’.
Federal Labor MP Emma Husar (pictured) says vicious ‘slut shaming’ forced her to quit politics
Ms Husar (pictured), who represents the seat of Lindsay, in western Sydney, announced in August she would not recontest the next election
‘That’s actually what brought my career in politics to an end was being slut-shamed so viciously, with no ability to come back and stand up for myself,’ she said.
‘I guess slut shaming is the oldest trick in the book to bring down a woman. It’s almost used as a method of torture.’
Ms Husar said politics is a tough environment for young, single women, who are the subject of constant rumours and gossip.
Ms Husar claims she was subject to such treatment from the first day she walked through the doors of the Labor Party in 2014.
Ms Husar (pictured), a first-term MP, said politics was a tough environment for young, single women
She has been accused of bullying and sexually harassing her electorate office employees and diverting Labor funds into her personal bank account.
The 39-year-old was also accused of exposing herself to Labor frontbencher Jason Clare while he played with his young child in his office.
‘Its utter garbage,’ Ms Husar said.
‘You’ve had both me and Jason Clare on the record saying it didn’t happen.’
Allegations also include claims from staff that Ms Husar made them babysit her children during and outside work hours, as well as clean up after her dog.
Footage emerged last month of an assistant walking Ms Husar’s dog Thomas outside her Penrith electorate office.
The assistant was captured picking-up the dog’s poo and placing it in a bin.
Two days after Ms Husar announced her decision to quit, Labor released the results of an internal investigation clearing her of allegations of lewd conduct and sexual harassment of employees, finding there was no need for her to resign.
However, the report did find she behaved unreasonably towards staff and there were grounds for a further investigation into the alleged misuse of entitlements.
The investigation into Ms Husar’s office dragged on for months but only became public in August when some details leaked – which the report found was ‘reprehensible’.
The interview airs on ABC’s 730 on Tuesday night.