Politician claims she was driven out of parliament by ‘sexist’ bullying from Scott Morrison who portrayed he as a ‘weak petal’ and ‘over emotional woman’ – and alleges a cabinet minister sexually harassed her
- Julia Banks quit the Liberal Party after Malcolm Turnbull was toppled by Morrison
- Claims she suffered menacing and controlling behaviour in 2018 by Mr Morrison
- PM portrayed her as being weak and unable to handle the pressure of the spill
Scott Morrison has been accused of menacing and controlling behaviour that drove a female MP out of parliament.
Julia Banks quit the Liberal Party after the leadership coup against Malcolm Turnbull in late 2018, sitting on the cross bench as an independent until an election the following year.
Ms Banks blames the prime minister’s behaviour for her decision to quit the party and leave politics.
The former corporate lawyer said Mr Morrison tried to portray her as a ‘weak petal’ who had not coped with the mental strain of the leadership spill.
Scott Morrison has been accused of menacing and controlling behaviour that drove ex-MP Julia Banks (pictured together) out of parliament
When the prime minister gave a press conference and took questions about Ms Banks’ decision not to recontest the next election, he responded by expressing concern for her welfare.
‘He wanted me silenced, he wanted me to be quiet, he wanted me out of the parliament, I mean, he wanted me out of the country,’ she told the ABC.
‘And I felt at that time, I thought, I’m challenging him and that was his response. His response was to drag me through this sort of sexist spectrum.
‘A narrative that I was this weak, over-emotional woman, to the bully bitch. That narrative was played all the way through that three months.’
Julia Banks quit the Liberal Party after the leadership coup against Malcolm Turnbull in late 2018, sitting on the cross bench as an independent until an election the following year
A spokesman for the prime minister said he was disappointed Ms Banks quit the party and had several conversations with her to understand what she was going through and what support was available.
‘That included support for personal leave so she could take the time to recover from the upset many people suffered during that period,’ the spokesman told AAP.
‘The prime minister absolutely rejects claims about the nature of those conversations.’
Ms Banks also alleged she was subjected to an unwanted sexual advance at work by a cabinet minister in the coalition government.
‘The prime minister is not aware of any allegations of sexual harassment Ms Banks faced. Any such behaviour is completely inappropriate,’ the PM’s spokesman said.