Yes, it's true that Hawke told his own daughter not to make a complaint about her rape to police because he was concerned about his career and damage to the Labor Party's reputation.
But don't expect Grace or any Labor lovers to ever address this issue. After all, it's only the Coalition members who have offended according to them. Now that's hypocrisy at its worst.
Female Labor staffers share details of workplace sexual harassment and abuse
The Guardian: 14 March 2021
Women in a closed social media group of 1,300 current and former Labor staffers say men in the party must be ‘held to account’ for their actions
Former and current female Labor staffers have come forward with tales of sexual harassment and abuse while at work, with one former staffer saying it was time some men in the Labor party were “held to account for their actions”.
In a closed social media group made up of more than 1,300 current and former female Australian Labor party staffers, women have detailed their experiences of working with some of the men in the party, furiously declaring they will no longer be silent.
(so why was this group "closed"?)
The group’s message was first reported by Samantha Maiden at news.com.au, which had permission to post some of the women’s stories. Guardian Australia has seen some of the posts, which detail some of the harassment, without naming anyone.
(Why no names? Is this to protect Labor sexual offenders?) They range from men name-calling and abusing women to inappropriate comments, pressuring women for sex, and plying women with alcohol to the point that consent could not be ascertained.
(Hmm sounds familiar ... Brittany?)
There's an outpouring of rage about gendered violence. Women have had enough.
Former Labor staffer, Anna Jabour, who wrote an op-ed last week telling her own story of harassment, abuse and a toxic culture during the Gillard-Rudd years, told Guardian Australia she was not surprised by the torrent of women now coming forward.
“Many women I have spoken to in my time and after my time were still experiencing the same harassment and abuse from men, and they were, and are, belittled and made to feel like it’s their fault – and it is not,” she said. (yet Labor are conspicuously silent about this abuse! After all, it's only Coalition members that abuse - right?)
“I think [my piece] is sparking some change and women are becoming more comfortable in sharing their own story – it takes a long time to accept you were abused, it takes a really, really long time, to accept it, especially in a culture where men have all the power and it can be a really vitriolic workplace for women, where it is easy to start questioning your own mind on things.
“It is important that women coming forward are believed and told they are believed, because changing a policy doesn’t cut it. You should know it is not OK to call women names in elevators, to harass them, to get women drunk and abuse them before they go home – people should know that is wrong without a policy. These are actions where you do not need a piece of paper to tell you not to do it.”
Female Labor MPs including Tanya Plibersek, Anika Wells, Katy Gallagher and Sharon Claydon posted in the social media group in support of the women, saying they believed them.
“We see you and hear you and are truly sorry that you have had these experiences working in the party,” they said in a group statement.
“As parliamentarians, we’re committed to making sure that these matters are dealt with seriously and respectfully, if you want to take matters further. We will keep working to change this culture so other women don’t have to go through what you have.
“It has been an extremely difficult and distressing month for many women who have, or still do, work in politics.”
The MPs went on to provide numbers for support for the women, including for police, and advising women of the Kate Jenkins-led review into parliamentary culture, ending their statement with an invitation to attend Monday’s March4Justice.
“This is a difficult time, but we are determined to ensure this becomes a moment for change,” they said.
Jabour said there needed to be accountability.
“I hope this can change something and it can change the culture, and I hope some people will be held to account, because there are some people still in Labor, who are still decision makers who were some of the worst offenders,” she said.
“It is hard to watch these articles come out, and know how hard it is to name some of the offenders, because legally we are not protected.”
Anthony Albanese’s office was contacted for comment.
However ... it appears that Labor has kept quiet about these sexual abuses while focussing only on the coalition. But I expect that Grace Tame will be bringing these matters up shortly seeing as she seems to think she's on a roll. And it would be really hypocritical of her not to!