Labour’s victims speak up

Paula Bennett states:

I was recently contacted by someone who called themselves a victim. They talked of a Labour Party staffer who works in Jacinda Ardern’s office. The accused is senior to most of his victims, and the allegations being made are serious. The person who contacted me repeatedly named him. They said his behaviour had taken place both within and outside of Parliament. 

This is a key point. The staffer concerned is a parliamentary staffer and at least some of the behaviour occurred within Parliament. There is no way this issue should be dealt with by the Labour Party organisation. They have no authority over parliamentary staff.

If the staffer works in Jacinda Ardern’s office, then only three people can effectively make decisions about what happens to him. They are:

• His immediate manager (if he is third level or below)
• The office Chief of Staff (is responsible for all staff in the office)
• The leader (has final say on who works for them)

The Parliamentary Service has a role also, but their role is to support the decision makers and managers. They also have a role in ensuring a safe parliamentary campus.

If there were behavioural complaints about a staffer in the National Leader’s Office, then there is a 0% chance they would be referred to the National Party (even if the staffer was a member). The Chief of Staff would deal with it.

Yesterday the victims were told there would be an appeal process after the way the Labour Party originally handled their complaints. The President of the party called and said it would be run by a QC. They feel it’s just more of the same, a policy and process conjured up on the hoof without any consideration given to how an appeal process should be run. It’s not victim-led. Ultimately any decision making will rest in the hands of the Labour Party Council who the victims believe is not best qualified to make decisions like this because of the inherent political influence that the accused is able to wield.

The Labour Party Council should have no role in this. If the person is a parliamentary staffer, they have no authority over him in his staff role. The only reason you would have the party organisation involved, is to try and keep things quiet.

They say the Labour Party completely ignored them when they asked a process to be developed with a third party sexual abuse prevention agency. 

Wasn’t this promised after the alleged sexual assaults at the youth camp?

The victims say they’re fearful of the accused and his power and that it permeates from the Labour Party Head Office to staffers in the Prime Minister’s Office. They say there are other influencers who have made threats.

This is how Labour treats people who complaint of sexual harrassment or assault.

I have now had three people come to me, asking that I continue going public with their concerns as they don’t feel they can. They are scared for themselves and others.

The fact these Labour Party members and/or staffers have turned to Paula gives you some idea of how let down by Labour they must feel.

I believe in a victim-led response, they felt powerless and the last thing they needed was me dictating what would happen. I suggested they go to the Police, or Parliament’s Speaker, along with other options. They asked me to go to the Speaker and to go public. They hoped people would see how serious they were that they had to speak to me, a National MP, to be heard.

I still can’t believe that The Parliamentary Service is allowing this to be treated as an internal Labour Party issue when it involves parliamentary staffers.

I knew I would get criticised for going public with what they had told me, but I also knew I had to leave my politics and concerns for how I would be judged to one side. I believed them, I heard the fear in their voice. They also told me about a number of other serious effects this was having on them and others such as anxiety, panic attacks, vomiting and time off work. They talked of having no real hope and feeling powerless.
My role gives me a platform to speak from. I believe them and I feel I have to do what I believe is right. Too many victims suffer because they are threatened and silenced. The shocking and deplorable becomes their norm and they start to blame themselves. These people are courageous and brave and they deserve a voice.

And this is not the first time. The Labour youth camp victims also went public because Labour tried to close them down.

Since my initial contact I have seen emails where senior people in the Labour Party have responded to the victims by limiting access within Parliament of both the victims and the alleged perpetrator. I have seen an email where victims were told “you may not go to xxx office in Parliamentary buildings (I have changed the language slightly so as not to identify anyone)”. As one of the victims said “telling people to avoid parliament because of a predator, is very scary.”

And again Labour has no authority to tell people they can’t go to certain areas in Parliament. Only parliamentary offices can do that.

I have also been told that while the original investigation was happening the alleged perpetrator was put in charge of hosting an event at Parliament where senior MPs and officials knew at least three of the complainants would be present.

Wow.

The victims have been very clear with me that the Prime Minister’s office knew and that two complaints were made to the head of her Leader’s Office. 

It would be impossible for them not to know.

Now that an appeal is underway the victims have been told they can’t speak to anyone in the Labour Party, that includes the people who have formed their only support system.

Labour really excels in caring for victims eh.

It’s not my job to judge, I fully accept that I don’t know all the details and have only heard one side and that these are allegations – I have purposefully not outlined them or named or identified anyone. But I will speak up, and yes use different public platforms to do so. I would tell the Labour Party what I have been told, but to be fair they already know what I know and from what I can see have chosen not to act. I hope that changes.

I’m also careful not to draw conclusions on the allegations. What is the issue is the appalling process where what should be an employment health and safety matter has instead been decided by Labour’s governing council.