Honouring Kimberley Kitching's life? Let's drop the political opportunism

Honouring Kimberley Kitching’s life & legacy? Let’s drop the political “mean girls” opportunism

Kimberley Kitching

There’s been much scrutiny around the potential of a culture crisis within the ALP this week, with reports Senator Kimberley Kitching— who tragically died last week of a heart attack aged 52– had made complaints that she was experiencing “mean girls” hostility from a group of female colleagues in the Upper House, including Penny Wong, Katy Gallagher and Kristina Keneally.

Since reports of this emerged, the term “mean girls” has been bandied about liberally by the Coalition and outlets of the Murdoch Press, more preoccupied with politicising a set of tragic circumstances and further devaluing women, than putting a red line under damaging workplace culture.

While Kitching may have used the term “mean girls” privately to describe her experience, I doubt she’d feel comfortable about its flow through to public discourse, nor the way an opportunistic and agenda-driven media have jumped on it ahead of an election. I doubt she would have wanted her life and legacy in the political arena (which was profound) to be detracted from. Or for her family and friends to have to deal with the additional hurt and heartbreak of seeing this play out.

One of the Liberal Party’s few remaining women, Karen Andrews described feeling “horrified” by the allegations.

“Look, I read the mean girls story this morning and quite frankly, I was horrified – not necessarily surprised – but I was horrified with what I read,” she told 4BC’s Neil Breen. “Labor’s spent the last couple of years trying to stay under the radar and of course, now we’re getting close to an election, some of the behaviours are starting to bubble up.”

In her last sentence, Andrews says it all. Her central motive is not a pitch of compassion to Kitching, nor to denounce toxic work environments broadly, but to show the Labor Party up as a culprit too. Why? Because her own party has a horrifying track record, and this glimmer of scandal gives them an opportunity to win back some miles.

No one, not for one second, is suggesting that allegations of workplace bullying or toxic environments should go un-investigated. In every circumstance they should be, and with Senator Kitching making these claims late in 2021, and suggesting she was under significant pressure as a result, it was and is the ALP’s duty to get answers after her funeral.

It is also fair to suggest that Deputy Leader Richard Marles should have investigated and resolved the issue prior to Kitching’s death. These allegations should not take so much time for political parties to act upon. Every person deserves to feel safe and supported at work.

BUT for some panting, political opponents and media outlets to use this story as a plum excuse for catchy headlines, which serve only to further degrade women in this country, is disgraceful.

Campaigning in Queensland on Wednesday with colleagues Ed Husic and Anthony Chisholm, Labor leader Anthony Albanese told reporters, “we have never been described as mean boys, and people should think about that” further adding that he found it “extraordinarily disrespectful” to tag “strong, articulate, principled women” like Wong, Gallagher and Keneally in this way.

He’s right. But the crux of it is that it’s disrespectful to tag any woman in this way, and we need to overcome the ingrained bias which motivates us to do so. Using terms like “mean girls” plays directly into a patriarchal system where women and girls are always perceived as lesser; too emotional, too meek, too mean to rise up.

This morning, Senator Wong, Senator Gallagher and Senator Keneally penned and released a joint statement about the claims, saying their priority in staying quiet over the past week has been to respect Senator Kitching’s husband Andrew, her family and her loved ones.

“Out of respect for them, and for Senator Kitching, we have not responded to allegations that have been made, despite them not being true”, they wrote.

They added that specific allegations regarding an altercation between Kitching and Wong had been made public more than two years ago, and at the time the pair had met with Wong issuing her colleague an apology.

The statement ended with all three Senators confirming they will be attending Kitching’s funeral tomorrow following engagement with the late Senator’s family.

“We will do so to recognise and respect her contribution to public life”.

Certainly a life and legacy that deserves to be remembered, not exploited.

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