The abuse of parliamentary privilege

has to cease. 

I know that parliament is a place where "things get said" and tempers can rise. I know that it is a place where abuse is hurled in the chamber in the heat of "debate". 

I also know that the people doing that can sometimes go and have lunch together in quite an amicable fashion. (I have been present at such lunches.) 

But there is a limit and most politicians know that and accept it. They may not like those on the "opposite" of the house, particularly if their opponents are those in power. They may try to bring them down on the floor of the house. Out in the corridors they will generally be civil to one another.

I don't think that can be said of all of them however. Yesterday one of them over-stepped the mark. An accusation of sexual assault by one senator was made against another. It was made as an interjection and it clearly left the accused stunned. The accusation was later withdrawn but the problem is that the damage has been done. 

We have already had too much harm caused by accusations that should have been kept out of the public arena altogether. Now the accused person has had to release a statement through his solicitor, a statement he should never have had to release.  

Even more seriously by making an accusation and then withdrawing it the person making it has just made it harder for genuine victims of sexual assault.  Sexual assault is one of the most difficult things to prove. We all know that.  It takes courage, great courage, to admit you have been sexually assaulted but what often follows are accusations of lying and blame. We all know that too.

Making the sort of accusation that was made in parliament yesterday is not in any way, shape or form acceptable. Parliamentary privilege is not there to be abused in that way. It has to cease. It has to cease for the sake of all those women who have been too afraid to speak out and who will now feel even less able to do so. I feel for them.