Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell has alleged she was sexually harassed in the Victorian state parliament, sharing her experience during a debate on non-disclosure agreements in workplace sexual harassment cases.
Purcell, 33, said she has been the target of sexual harassment multiple times over the course of her career in politics.
“It really doesn’t matter how senior or successful you become,” Purcell said. “Men will always see us as up for grabs.”
The latest of a number of female MPs to speak out about workplace harassment incidents, Purcell said she was first sexually harassed as a 26-year-old staffer during her first year in on the job.
“Someone came into my office for a discussion, and I bent over to get something from the fridge, and he remarked to me, in my member of parliament’s office, ‘if you do that again, I won’t be responsible for what happens next’,” Purcell said, sharing an example of the “litany” of harassment she’s experienced in parliament.
In another example, Purcell said: “For me, in my experience with someone else in this place, it was the late-night messages, the harassing phone calls, the harassing texts, the bombardment of digital contact, the knocks on our doors when we cannot see who is on the other side.”
While Purcell said she reported the harassment as an MP, she also said news of the report spread through parliament and she was faced with a number of shameful questions and remarks.
“The immediate questions were: ‘What did she expect? Look how she dresses. Look at the tattoos. Look at her past. You can’t sexually harass the stripper’,” Purcell said, adding that she heard the whispers in the hallways.
“I have heard all of the rumours. I know the slut shaming far too well. Members of this place are not beyond it, and we need to reflect on that today as well as we move forward and do this important piece of legislation.”
It’s understood Purcell did not make a complaint or lodge a report on Thursday about the issues, and did not go into detail regarding previously reporting the claims.
Purcell raised the allegations during a speech in parliament, as the legislative council was debating an Australian-first bill to curb the use of non-disclosure agreements in sexual harassment cases. The government says the bill, which passed on Thursday, will prevent victim-survivors from being silenced.
“I hope that this piece of legislation is only just the beginning to making Australian workplaces better for young women and girls as they grow up and start their professional careers,” said Purcell, who is expecting a baby girl in 2026.
During debate on the legislation earlier this month, Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins shared her experience with sexual harassment, alleging that Essendon Football Club players harassed her while working as a waitress in the early 1990s.
Shadow Finance Minister Bridget Vallence and Nationals MP Emma Kealy have also publicly shared experiences with sexual harassment and stalking.
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