Victorian Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell has come forward with allegations of persistent sexual harassment experienced within the parliamentary environment, adding her voice to a growing chorus of female MPs sharing similar stories.
At 33 years old, Purcell disclosed these experiences while addressing her fellow upper house members. Her remarks were made in support of proposed legislation aimed at abolishing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in cases involving workplace sexual harassment.
Reflecting on her career, Purcell recounted that her initial encounter with sexual harassment at Spring Street occurred during her first year as a staff member, when she was just 26.
Purcell shared that her experiences with harassment began even earlier, at 18, while working in a pub. She described incidents where she was inappropriately touched, pulled onto patrons’ laps, and subjected to degrading and sexual comments.
“On one occasion, a customer even followed me to my car, threatening me after I rejected his advances,” she recounted.
The crossbench MP revealed that she first reported workplace sexual harassment at the age of 20, during her tenure in the legal industry.
”It really doesn’t matter how senior or successful you become,” Purcell said.
“Men will always see us as up for grabs.”
During debate on the same legislation earlier this month, lower house MP Natalie Hutchins alleged she was harassed by Essendon Football Club players while working as a waitress in the early 1990s.
“People questioned if that could even be possible,” Purcell said of Hutchins’ claims.
“It creates this false narrative of a perfect victim, that you can only experience or endure this behaviour and, importantly, you can only speak out about this behaviour if you meet a certain, impossible criteria.
“It’s all well and good to remove the gag on survivors of sexual harassment, but we need to start listening when people speak.”
Shadow finance minister Bridget Vallence and Nationals MP Emma Kealy have also publicly detailed experiences with sexual harassment and stalking.
“It really doesn’t matter how senior or successful you become,” Purcell said.
“One thing I have learnt is that men will always see us as up for grabs.”
Purcell’s experiences were detailed under parliamentary privilege.
