'Health leave': The path men in politics take when they're found out

‘Health leave’: The hasty detour men in politics take when they get found out

Amid a bin fire of epic proportions, former Liberal Senator David Van will not resign from parliament. Instead, in a kick to the guts to the now three women who have spoken out with allegations of sexual misconduct against him, Van will take “health leave”, while the mess he’s made blows over.

It’s a familiar plot twist for men in politics caught out.

With minimal mental energy, I can recount several cases where this has transpired in recent years.

In 2021 for example, we watched as then Attorney General Christian Porter, announced tearfully that the toll of historic rape allegations against him had caused so much anguish that he would be taking mental health leave.

“After speaking with my doctor and my family, I have decided that what’s best for me right now is to spend a few weeks of downtime meticulously preparing a strategic legal case against the national broadcaster,” said Porter.

 

“I’m not ashamed to say that I will be seeking professional help, and I would encourage other Australians facing their own issues to do the same.”

At the same press conference (several days after news first broke that a then-undisclosed senior government minister was accused of rape), Porter said that when asked by friends and family “are you OK?” that he had to be honest and say he wasn’t sure.

His access to psychological counselling– at the tax-payer’s expense– was taken up before he returned to parliament in the same role on a $370,000 salary, three weeks later.

An investigation by the Liberal Party into the allegations against Porter was never initiated.

Former Education Minister, Alan Tudge, a reported close friend of Porter’s also took leave the same year, when allegations that an affair he had with his former staffer was abusive. 

Tudge also returned to his role several weeks later.

The same year, Queensland LNP backbencher Andrew Laming issued a statement after allegations of harassment against him were aired by Nine News in a series of reports.

He wasn’t stood down by then PM Scott Morrison but instead instructed to undertake “empathy and awareness” training.

“I will step down from all Parliamentary roles effective immediately and complete both the counselling courses I committed to; as well as additional clinical counselling, and ask for privacy while that is completed,” Laming’s statement read.

The then Bowman MP said he would be on medical leave for an unspecified period of time, but returned from leave two months later, suggesting that he had never promised to permanently resign from his extra parliamentary roles. Scott Morrison defended Laming’s decision and praised him for doing “many good things” while in parliament.

And, in another classic example, One Nation’s Mark Latham took leave earlier this year after dropping a vile and reprehensible homophobic tweet directed at independent MP Alex Greenwich.

True to form, Latham refused to apologise despite fierce backlash: “Never apologise, never explain”, he said.

So what do these stories tell us? Aside from the fact that Australia’s political makeup is still seriously toxic.

They tell us that men in politics accused of serious crimes are protected in ways that female victims may never be.

Yes, new Coalition leader Peter Dutton took a quicker stand on David Van than his predecessor. His call for Van to quit the Liberal Party was a welcome one.

But the call still came in only after the second allegation of Van’s misconduct was raised by former Liberal MP, Amanda Stoker. Had independent Senator Lidia Thorpe been the only one to sound the alarm, nothing would have happened. The narrative was already circulating about Thorpe’s oft erratic behaviour. Van would have prevailed, unscathed. He would have been the victim.

Even now, despite the Liberal Party’s hardline, Van’s access to “health leave” will save him from answering a lot of questions. Van’s spokesman said the senator hopes a Parliamentary Workplace Support Service inquiry will be able to help clear his name. He cannot be forced to quit the parliament – he must choose to resign. 

With 5 weeks holiday and the safe knowledge that countless men have gotten away with worse before him, will Van falter? He will recalibrate, build a case, and come back swinging.

And his alleged victims, having just watched what’s transpired for Brittany Higgins, may just come to the heartbreaking conclusion that they don’t have enough gas in the tank to fight him.

 

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