A fiery and emotional debate has erupted in the Western Australian Parliament about the treatment of female MPs in the wake of an incident last week when a senior minister was accused of "feigning a headbutt" towards Nationals leader Mia Davies.
Ms Davies referred the alleged behaviour of Water Minister Dave Kelly to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly last Thursday, claiming it "bordered on intimidatory".
But on Tuesday Speaker Peter Watson said he would not take the complaint any further and was satisfied Mr Kelly "did not move his head in the Member's direction".
Mr Kelly has repeatedly denied the allegation and has the support of the Premier Mark McGowan who said the allegations were "fabricated".
But the response sparked an emotional plea from Ms Davies, who urged her colleagues to refer the matter to a powerful committee for further investigation.
"I'm happy to come to this place, I am happy to be criticised, I am happy to have members opposite pull our policy apart ... we expect that," she told the chamber.
"But I expect that when one member of this place says they feel uncomfortable, that it is not mocked by those opposite."
'Extraordinarily offensive'
At times Ms Davies was close to tears, saying the moment was "disconcerting" and bordered on intimidation.
"That caused me to take a step back and say hang on, you are very close, you are too close and it was designed to make me feel uncomfortable," she said.
Ms Davies said the Government's reaction in dismissing her allegation had been "appalling".
"That to me is the very reason why people don't raise complaints of this nature in the workplace and it is extraordinarily offensive," she said.
Deputy Liberal leader Liza Harvey called the Government's response "disgraceful".
"The biggest challenge is getting people to stand up and ask for help," she said.
"They don't want to feel more vulnerable and they don't want to be ridiculed and they don't want to be dismissed.
"They don't want to have someone say, 'she made that up' and be made to look like an idiot."
'Stick to your knitting'
The debate sparked impassioned arguments from both sides of politics, including a handful of female Labor MPs who bared their own confronting moments.
"I remember being told to stick to my knitting," Police Minister Michelle Roberts said.
"People commenting ... about my appearance, among other things, and a lot of other nasty stuff."
Transport Minister Rita Saffioti spoke candidly about facing incessant "heckling" while in opposition, even when she had revealed she was trying IVF to have a child and had suffered a "miscarriage scare".
"In my maiden speech, the former premier (Colin Barnett) heckled me and he didn't stop for eight-and-a-half-years," she said.
But she said the headbutt allegation "wasn't true", dismissing it as a political stunt before the Darling Range by-election.
"I understand this is a tough place ... but to try and undermine the Minister for Water in this way ... is completely out of order," she said.
The motion to have the complaint referred to the Procedure and Privileges Committee was voted down.
