‘He could have got in front of the story’: parliamentary abuse survivor says women were cast aside

Chelsey Potter had been a member of the Liberal Party since she was 16. Drawn into politics by watching question time on television, she became an active member, then a staffer, working closely alongside now Finance Minister Simon Birmingham. She considered the pair friends — he was the best man at her wedding. 

On July 30, 2019, she went public with an allegation that she was sexually assaulted by a man who would soon be considered for preselection by the Liberal Party. Potter expected support from Birmingham, the man she had known for more than a decade. Had he responded with empathy and action, Potter tells Crikey, he could have stopped the story. 

Five days before the story was set to be published, Potter asked Birmingham out for a beer. He had already been contacted by ​​Eryk Bagshaw from The Sydney Morning Herald and was aware of her allegations. Birmingham recommended she call 1800RESPECT or the women’s legal services line. 

“That really shook me. I was doing something quite significant both personally and politically, and that was the response,” Potter said.

“Maybe I was somewhat naive in thinking that because he was my friend, who was also my employer for many, many years, that the response would have been different. I was really just seeking to reach out to someone familiar, somebody who was in a position to do something and have that conversation.”

While incredibly anxious about going public, Potter was in a different position from many staffers. She had left her role in the Liberal Party and separated from her senior SA Liberal MP husband, and already felt that by leaving the party she would avoid any immediate backlash. 

“If [Birmingham] had called me and said ‘Look, Chels, you don’t have to do this and I’m sorry this happened to you’ … I definitely would have considered stepping out of the story,” she said. 

“He could have got in front of the story.” 

Potter believes the survivors who went public — including Brittany Higgins, Rachelle Miller and Josie Coles — would have been a key asset to the government. Instead the experienced, impassioned Liberal women were cast aside. 

“It would have sent a signal to staff that culture is beginning to change,” she said. “There is no better non-verbal signal than having someone in that room who has spoken out and who’s shown they’re willing to sacrifice and to advocate for people in that building.”

Although Potter now works as a freelance political adviser and will only work for people she believes in instead of parties, she says Birmingham didn’t consider inviting her back into the party as a staffer. 

“I do think we have constantly been underestimated from my experience with [Birmingham] through to Brittany [Higgins’] allegations,” she said. 

Birmingham tells Crikey that after the Jenkins review, much had been learnt about preventing and responding to bullying and harassment allegations.

“I have reflected upon the experiences I have been told about, including Chelsey’s … I thank Chelsey and others for sharing their experiences with me and with the Jenkins review,” he said.

“In implementing the Jenkins report recommendations, my aim is that we bring about the necessary practical and cultural changes that will give people confidence to raise concerns through a truly independent and accountable process.

“In reflecting on my discussions with Chelsey and the training provided to all MPs, I have had discussions with all of my team emphasising that I am always available to speak with them and would support them through any and all proper processes should they face any instances of bullying, harassment, assault or other wrongdoing.”

A series of failures

Since the Me Too movement, the government has consistently downplayed and dismissed women’s experiences of bullying, harassment and assault. Potter said she felt like she was considered a troublemaker and a pariah by her former colleagues by going public.

Morrison didn’t bother to read a police statement alleging then-attorney-general Christian Porter had raped a fellow high school student in 1988 (an allegation he strenuously denies). The government took more than a year to respond to sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins’ Respect@Work report. 

Morrison didn’t meet with March4Justice protesters when they rallied around the country and outside Parliament House in March last year, and said the women could be grateful they hadn’t been shot. He said he wasn’t aware of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ allegation of rape until February last year. (Higgins this week said leaked texts between her and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce prove he must have known.) He continued his claim of ignorance in Parliament yesterday, saying conclusions about who in his office knew what “have not been found”. 

This isn’t to say he didn’t try to get in front of the story: Higgins alleged Morrison’s media team backgrounded journalists against her partner David Sharaz (though an investigation found no “first-hand” evidence); former Liberal MP Julia Banks was backgrounded against when she agreed to wait to announce her resignation from the party; Morrison announced former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian’s refusal to run for federal politics for her; Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer was dragged into a closed-door meeting after crossing the floor on the religious discrimination bill. 

But each of these attempts to ignore, quash or get ahead of a woman’s story have not gone well. Morrison and his ministry have repeatedly ignored the power of women’s collective voices. 

It was only when Jenkins released her landmark report into parliamentary workplaces in November that the government really stepped up and listened. This week an acknowledgment and rare apology were given to survivors and victims of the toxic workplaces. Just six women who went public with their experience attended in person after receiving a last-minute invitation organised by independent MP Zali Steggall. 

“Could you imagine if he gave the apology he gave yesterday, a year ago?” Potter said. “He could have probably saved himself a year of political trauma.”

Potter says she welcomed the parliamentary acknowledgment of bullying and harassment, and that it showed some form of progress — however small — and gave credibility to her story. 

The movement is whitewashed 

Survivor, advocate and former Liberal staffer Dhanya Mani — who also went public with allegations she was assaulted by an NSW Liberal Party member in 2019 — tells Crikey she also received little support from the party. She said she was advised by a senior Liberal woman that her complaints were unlikely to lead anywhere.

She says attempts at culture change have been lacklustre. She wasn’t invited to the parliamentary acknowledgment of bullying and harassment. 

“I have imposter syndrome, and often feel like I don’t exist,” she said, stressing that women of colour have historically been left out of the Me Too movement. Of the six women who were given last-minute invitations to attend the parliamentary acknowledgement, all were white. 

Jenkins’ “Set the Standard” report found a lack of diversity led to exclusion of particular groups from decision-making in Parliament, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children experienced violence at 3.1 times the rate of non-Indigenous women. 

Mani is critical of the Jenkins review and feels the recommendations don’t go far enough. She believes it should have been compulsory for parliamentarians to participate in the review and that while the review mapped out the severity of the toxic workplace culture, the recommendations couldn’t force people to change their behaviour. 

“There’s no evidence that any of the party complaint mechanisms work,” she said. “[Predators] are just going do the same thing because they already knew it was wrong. They already knew that they had to hide it. They’re just still going to hide it.”

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

For counselling, advice and support for men in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, call the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491. Men in WA can contact the Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline on 1800 000 599.