“I wasn’t a party to that conversation,Karl,there were only two people in the room,so it’s difficult for anyone,frankly,to comment on that. But what I know is that that was about Kimberley’s position on the tactics committee. She didn’t want to be suspended from that.”
Soon after on the ABC,he acknowledged Labor could “always do better” on the treatment of people within the party but argued again that the concern had been about the tactics committee not a formal complaint about bullying.
Asked on the ABC why he would not launch an inquiry,Mr Albanese said the party had its processes and were independent and there was no complaint made.
“My office is open to every member of the caucus,” he said,adding that he had several one-on-one conversations with Senator Kitching and the concern about bullying was never raised with him.
Mr Albanese contrasted this with the investigations Prime Minister Scott Morrison had set up into questions about personal conduct or complaints being made,including those overseen by the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet,Phil Gaetjens,which were never released.
While the Labor leader acknowledged in general terms that one remark made to Senator Kitching had been wrong,ABC Breakfast host Michael Rowland questioned him about this by reminding him the remark was made by Senator Wong and was to the effect that Senator Kitching would not fully understand the climate emergency because she did not have children.
Loading
“What does that say about Penny Wong?” the ABC host asked.
“Penny Wong is an outstanding leader of the Labor Party in the Senate,” Mr Albanese replied. “She has completely my confidence. What that says is that Penny Wong,as she said,regrets the statement. She said something in a context,I’m not sure what it was,but it was clearly inappropriate. Kimberley Kitching was offended by it. She apologised. Michael,I don’t know if you can put your hand on heart and say you have never said anything to anyone that caused offence. I can’t.”
On specific concerns raised by Senator Kitching’s friends since she died,Mr Albanese said it was not true to say he had demoted her in a reshuffle of the ministry because he had put her on the frontbench in the first place and had transferred her from the portfolio of government accountability to responsibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme where she could work with her friend,Bill Shorten,the former Labor leader and the shadow minister for the NDIS.
He said it was wrong to expect the party to pay for Senator Kitching to fly to Europe to accept the Magnitsky Award for human rights because all Labor MPs,including himself,had to pay for travel out of their allowances.
Loading
With questions of personal character now part of the political contest between the two leaders,Mr Albanese sought to compare his response to Mr Morrison by saying the Prime Minister had avoided facing flood disaster victims during a recent visit to Lismore in northern NSW,only to have Mr Morrison reject that in an interview within minutes on Wednesday morning.
“That is just Anthony Albanese making stuff up again,trying to distract from the fact that he won’t stand up to the bullies in his own party,” Mr Morrison told the Nine Network. “If he can’t stand up to the bullies in his own party,how does he think he’s going to stand up to the bullies in our region?”