Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has confirmed she will sue David Leyonhjelm for defamation, dedicating her legal fight to all women who have experienced bullying, harassment and sexist abuse in the workplace.
Hanson-Young alleges senator Lleyonhjelm told her to “stop shagging men” during a parliamentary debate about violence against women. Leyonhjelm then proceeded to repeat the comments in a series of media interviews, including one on Sky News that prompted an apology from the network for broadcasting the senator’s comment that Hanson-Young was “well-known for liking men”.
While his commentary — which Hanson-Young says amount to “slut-shaming” — has been widely denounced by political leaders including Malcolm Turnbull, Leyonhjelm has since refused to withdraw the comments, or apologise.
In a statement on Tuesday, Hanson-Young said she had received “a flood of messages from women around the country who have experienced sexual harassment, bullying and sexist abuse in their workplaces”.
“No woman deserves to be disrespected, harassed and bullied in the workplace, in the street, or in their own homes,” she said. “For women everywhere, from the factory floor, in the hospitality industry, to flight attendants, this fight is for you.”
Hanson-Young said any damages would go to charities such as Plan International Australia and the Working Women’s Centre in South Australia.
“These organisations work at the coalface of helping women subjected to harassment, intimidation and bullying every day,” she said. “It is for the women they assist and fight for on a daily basis that I am doing this.”
Legal costs will be covered by a crowd-funding campaign, launched in part by author Jane Caro, which has raised more than $36,000, four days after going online.
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