‘It felt like going back to the 1980s’: Former MP unleashes on Canberra ‘boys’ club’ as she reveals how she was GROPED by a cabinet minister before sensationally quitting politics
- Ex-Liberal Party MP Julia Banks, 58, has blasted Canberra’s ‘bully boy’ culture
- She said she was ‘harassed and bullied’ by Scott Morrison in revealing interview
- The corporate lawyer even claimed to have been groped by a cabinet minister
A former Liberal Party MP has slammed the ‘boys’ club’ culture of Canberra, describing it as ‘like going back to the 1980s’.
Julia Banks, 58, 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.
The accomplished corporate lawyer accused the Prime Minister of displaying ‘menacing and controlling’ behaviour which made her quit the party and walk out on political life.
Ms Banks told the ABC’s 7:30 program the workplace culture in parliament was ‘like stepping back in time,’ as she recounted being groped in an ‘astoundingly brazen’ act by a cabinet minister.
A former Liberal Party MP has slammed Scott Morrison and the boy’s club culture of Canberra, describing it ‘like the 1980s’. Pictured: Christian Porter (left), Scott Morrison (centre) and Josh Frydenberg (right)
Julia Banks (right) spoke about the ‘bully boy’ culture in parliament to the 7:30 program’s Laura Tingle (left)
‘I was sitting on the couch speaking with another MP and a cabinet minister sat on my right and put his hand on my knee and ran it along the upper part of my leg,’ Ms Banks said.
‘What disturbed me the most about that was that here I was a 50-something corporate lawyer and member of parliament and that move was made on me which would classify as an unwanted sexual advance.
‘I thought if that happened to me where there is minimal power discrepancy, you can only imagine what happens to women that don’t have that power parity.’
In her new tell-all memoir about life in politics, titled Power Play, Ms Banks claims she was targeted as a moderate by more conservative factions of the Coalition.
In 2018, she even spoke out against ‘bully boy’ culture within her own party during a highly publicised address to parliament.
Just three months later she moved to the cross benches, claiming the harassment had become even worse.
Ms Banks claims the workplace culture in parliament was ‘like stepping back in time. Pictured: Peter Dutton (left) Scott Morrison (second left) Michael McCormack (second right) and Josh Frydenberg (right)
The accomplished corporate lawyer (pictured with Dr Kerryn Phelps) blames the Prime Minister’s ‘menacing and controlling’ behaviour for her decision to quit the party and walk out on political life
‘I realised Morrison, the most powerful man in the country, was like a menacing, controlling wallpaper,’ Ms Banks said.
‘He was either doing it through his emissaries or doing it directly.
‘He wanted me silenced, he wanted me to stay quiet, he wanted me out of the parliament.’
Ms Banks claims that the Prime Minister tried to portray her as a ‘weak petal’ who had not coped with the mental strain of the leadership spill.
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.
Scott Morrison has been accused of behaviour that drove ex-MP Julia Banks (pictured together) out of parliament
In her new tell-all memoir about life in politics, titled Power Play (pictured), Ms Banks claims she was targeted as a moderate by more conservative factions of the Coalition
‘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.’
A spokesman for the prime minister said Mr Morrison 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 said.
‘The prime minister absolutely rejects claims about the nature of those conversations.’