6th Dec 2017, 4:34 PM – Senate Documents - Burke, Mr Donald William - Government members associating with questionable figures

The majority voted against paragraphs (a) and (b) of a motion introduced by South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

That—

(a) the Senate notes that:

(i) in December 2016, the celebrity gardener Mr Don Burke appeared in a Facebook video with the then Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources and Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Joyce), discussing favourably the relocation of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority from Canberra to the Minister's electorate, and

(ii) this video is no longer available;

(b) the Senate further notes that:

(i) allegations of long-term sexual harassment and abuse against prominent identities raise serious concerns about the culture of silence that has been allowed to prosper in the media industry,

(ii) the decision of any Government minister to associate with media identities facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment and abuse would call into question their capacity to responsibly execute their ministerial responsibilities,

(iii) scrubbing one's social media of references to figures facing allegations of sexual harassment and abuse would represent an acknowledgement that the association was inappropriate in the first place, and

(iv) any member of the Government who chooses to associate with a figure whose alleged behaviour was, to quote one report, 'an open secret for years', cannot, for their own benefit, pick and choose when to withdraw that association; and

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