NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian chose her words carefully when she fronted the media on Thursday, calling for a culture change hours after a member of her government was accused of rape under parliamentary privilege. Ms Berejiklian said she was shocked by the allegation, which Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen revealed concerned him when he released a statement declaring his innocence but confirming he would step aside "without admission". Nationals leader and NSW deputy premier John Barilaro said he had asked for and received Mr Johnsen's resignation as a parliamentary secretary in the wake of Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle's statement.
The allegation as detailed to the parliament, that the MP sexually assaulted a sex worker at a Blue Mountains lookout in 2019 after agreeing to a particular sex act, is shocking. NSW Police have confirmed they are investigating the facts of the matter, and Mr Johnsen is expected to speak with police this week as he hopes to clear his name.
As the inquiries continue, Mr Johnsen is fully entitled to the presumption of innocence in a matter with its own unique circumstances and facts. Yet it is undeniable that it comes amid a zeitgeist in which calls for higher standards in politics are sounding loudly. Those calls are coming largely from women. In the week since Civic Park was filled with palpable anger emanating from hundreds of demonstrators, a Liberal staffer has been let go after a video depicted a sex act performed at the desk of a female federal MP. Prime Minister Scott Morrison himself noted that many people had been unhappy with his response to matters including the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins in Parliament House. He also alluded that Attorney-General Christian Porter's tenure as the nation's chief law officer could draw to a close as the West Australian MP faces a historical rape allegation.
Mr Porter, too, is entitled to the presumption of innocence. NSW Police have said they cannot take the matter further given Mr Porter's accuser has died.
Politics comes second to justice in such matters, as it should. But a secondary concern for the Berejiklian government will be a more precarious majority as Mr Johnsen shifts to the crossbench, and the 2.2 per cent margin that made the seat one of the government's more vulnerable before these revelations. For now, it is crucial that the course of justice comes first.
