On Tuesday night, under the legal protection of parliamentary privilege, it was a very different story. The member might think that serious sexual assault and not supporting the victims of it is funny, but I don t, Mr Bishop, Mallard said, doubling down on allegations of sexual assault against a former parliamentary staffer he d already falsely accused of rape.
The Speaker has been avoiding talking about the man who successfully sued Mallard for defamation, costing the taxpayer $300,000. His career has been ruined; his life has been ruined, said National MP Michael Woodhouse.
Mallard responded: That man s life was destroyed when he sexually assaulted a woman.
Explainer: Trevor Mallard s false rape claim and how we got to last night s messy debate
5 May, 2021 12:40 AM
9 minutes to read
Speaker Trevor Mallard started this whole sage when he wrongly accused a parliamentary worker of rape - two years ago. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Speaker Trevor Mallard started this whole sage when he wrongly accused a parliamentary worker of rape - two years ago. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Explainer
The National Party calling for Speaker Trevor Mallard to be removed this morning is the latest in long-running saga that has almost clocked two years. It follows a heated debate in the House last night on Mallard s settlement with a former staffer who he falsely accused of rape. In the debate - and under legal immunity of parliamentary privilege - Mallard said the former staffer had committed serious sexual assault.
05/05/2021
Watch: Newshub political editor Tova O Brien dissects the drama on The AM Show. Credits: Video - The AM Show; Image - Getty Images
Parliament is in disarray following the explosive fallout of last night s war of words between Speaker Trevor Mallard and the National Party, with political editor Tova O Brien comparing the escalating tensions to an absolute powder keg .
On Tuesday night, the Speaker of the House - under parliamentary privilege - doubled down on allegations of sexual assault against a staffer. Mallard wrongly accused the same staffer of rape in 2019, with more than $300,000 of taxpayer money spent settling a defamation case the man took against the Speaker. He issued an apology, but continued to publicly defend the claim.
His career has been ruined, his life has been ruined, National MP Michael Woodhouse said. If there had been a fair go and the right outcome had been reached, it wouldn t have got the scalp Mr Speaker was looking for.
Mallard made the rape allegation in 2019. More than $300,000 of taxpayer money was spent settling a defamation case the staffer took against the Speaker.
The Speaker s now arguing National s continuing scrutiny of the case is traumatising the alleged victims. His ongoing behaviour has caused distress to a number of women and he s been asked to stop and he hasn t, Mallard said.