Australian Liberal Senator David Van has been dumped from the Opposition party room following accusations by Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe and former Liberal Senator Amanda Stoker that he had sexually assaulted them.
Stoker’s allegations were released in a media statement on Thursday and followed Thorpe’s accusation on Wednesday.
On Wednesday afternoon, under parliamentary privilege, Thorpe accused Van of harassment and sexual assault, a claim that Van rejected.
The situation took place when Van was speaking in the upper House about the rape allegations of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins. Thorpe interjected, saying she felt “really uncomfortable when a perpetrator is speaking about violence.”…