Peter Dutton expelled Senator David Van from the Liberal party room after it was revealed a second senator from his own party had accused him of allegedly groping her.
After Lidia Thorpe’s bombshell claim in the Senate that she was ‘sexually harassed and assaulted’ by Mr Van, Sky News reported on Thursday that an unidentified Liberal senator levelled her own sex assault claims to Mr Dutton.
Sky political editor Andrew Clennell reported that the former female senator told Mr Dutton on Thursday morning that Mr Van ‘squeezed her bottom’ twice at a drinks event three years ago.
The senator allegedly warned Mr Van ‘not to do it again’ or that his ‘career would be destroyed’.
The Liberal leader called a shock press conference 10 minutes before Question Time on Thursday, where he announced Senator Van had been dumped from the party room while an investigation into Senator Thorpe’s claims was conducted.
He revealed ‘further allegations in relation to Senator Van’ were brought to his attention overnight and this morning, but did not specify the precise nature of those allegations.
Mr Dutton did not take questions.
![Peter Dutton expelled Senator David Van from the Liberal party room after a second woman came forward with allegations against him](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/06/72157443-12197229-image-a-14_1686806756402.jpg)
Peter Dutton expelled Senator David Van from the Liberal party room after a second woman came forward with allegations against him
![Mr Van vehemently denies the allegations against him, which were first spoken in Parliament by Ms Thorpe on Wednesday, saying they are all untrue](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72157441-12197229-Mr_Van_vehemently_denies_the_allegations_against_him_which_were_-a-1_1686808924571.jpg)
Mr Van vehemently denies the allegations against him, which were first spoken in Parliament by Ms Thorpe on Wednesday, saying they are all untrue
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72153911-12197229-image-a-2_1686808924574.jpg)
Lidia Thorpe has doubled down on her allegations she was sexually assaulted under parliamentary privilege, claiming she was ‘followed aggressively, propositioned and inappropriately touched’ – but insisted she would not make a complaint with police
![The allegations prompted Liberal leader Peter Dutton to suspend David Van from the party room while the Parliament Workplace Support Service conducts an investigation](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72155713-12197229-The_allegations_prompted_Liberal_leader_Peter_Dutton_to_suspend_-a-3_1686808924860.jpg)
The allegations prompted Liberal leader Peter Dutton to suspend David Van from the party room while the Parliament Workplace Support Service conducts an investigation
The former Green and now-independent senator doubled down on her claims she was subjected to inappropriate behaviour in Parliament House on Thursday, saying she was ‘followed aggressively, propositioned and inappropriately touched’ by an unnamed man.
Mr Van vehemently denies the allegations against him, which were first spoken in Parliament by Ms Thorpe on Wednesday, saying they are all untrue.
Ms Thorpe tearfully told Parliament she never spoke publicly about her alleged experiences when they occurred, which she said happened around the time Brittany Higgins came forward with rape allegations and did not want to take the focus off that case.
Ms Thorpe explained she placed her faith in the Liberal Party that her complaint was being taken seriously, and would not be taking the complaint to the police.
Her allegations on Thursday followed her statement on Wednesday against the fellow Victorian senator, when she accused him of harassment and sexual assault.
Ms Thorpe formally withdrew her comments four hours later to comply with standing orders.
As Mr Dutton issued his statement, Mr Van simultaneously spoke in the Senate confirming he would no longer be sitting in the Liberal party room.
His hands shook as he said: ‘I do not wish this matter to stay in the Liberal Party that I have fought so hard for, so I accept that I will no longer be sitting in the party room.’
![Pictured: Senator Van](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72157437-12197229-image-a-4_1686808924863.jpg)
![Pictured: Senator Van](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72157439-12197229-image-a-5_1686808925190.jpg)
Pictured: Senator Van in the Senate on Thursday
But he maintained ‘nothing she has said is true’ and called for an investigation into ‘these outrageous claims so they can be proved false’.
Mr Dutton said the decision to remove Mr Van from the party room did not imply any judgement on ‘any individual’s guilt or innocence’.
‘I wasn’t aware of the detail of Senator Van moving office. But I’ve conducted inquiries in relation to that matter overnight,’ he said.
‘I’m advised that the action at the time that was taken was to the satisfaction of both Senator Thorpe and the Greens Senate leadership team.’
On Thursday, Ms Thorpe doubled down on sex assault allegations, saying when she started in the senate in 2020, parliament was ‘not a safe place’ for women.
‘You are often alone in long corridors, with no windows, in stairwells hidden from view where there are no cameras.’
![Mr Van issued a statement in the Senate on Thursday afternoon confirming he will no longer be sitting in the Liberal party room](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72155965-12197229-Mr_Van_issued_a_statement_in_the_Senate_on_Thursday_afternoon_co-a-6_1686808925192.jpg)
Mr Van issued a statement in the Senate on Thursday afternoon confirming he will no longer be sitting in the Liberal party room
Ms Thorpe claimed she was propositioned ‘by powerful men and approached in the stairwell’.
She said there are ‘different understandings of what amounts to sexual assault’ and that when she raised her complaint with the government of the day – the Coalition – ‘it was recognised as such’.
‘I was afraid to walk out of the office door. I would open it slightly and make sure the coast was clear before stepping out,’ she said. ‘I had to be accompanied by someone – that is how the Greens supported me and I thank them for that.’
Ms Thorpe told the Senate she was sure the then prime minister Scott Morrison had been informed. He said in a statement on Wednesday he did not recall if this was the case.
‘I was convinced the government believed me… my faith in the Liberal Party was not the right decision,’ Ms Thorpe said.
‘Until yesterday, I thought they took the issue seriously.’
Saying ‘silence is violence’, Ms Thorpe said she was prompted to speak out on Wednesday when Mr Van ‘had the gall to stand up in parliament’ to address the handling of Ms Higgins’ complaint in parliament this week.
She will not pursue legal action or go to police, but vowed to ‘continue to speak out against the abuse and harassment that happens in this building’.
‘That is my choice. I want to focus on making this place safe for everyone,’ she added.
‘And at this moment, it is not a safe place for women and I call on the government to immediately increase the number of security guards in the building and cameras in the corridors and to consult women who work here on what measures can and should be taken.’
As Ms Thorpe finished detailing her new allegations and thanked the Senate, One Nation’s Pauline Hanson – who sits next to Ms Thorpe – made a comment under her breath, to which Ms Thorpe responded: ‘f**k off Pauline’.
![The Independent senator tearfully said she never spoke publicly about her alleged experience because it was at the same time that Brittany Higgins had come forward](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72153913-12197229-The_Independent_senator_tearfully_said_she_never_spoke_publicly_-a-7_1686808925496.jpg)
The Independent senator tearfully said she never spoke publicly about her alleged experience because it was at the same time that Brittany Higgins had come forward
![She told the Senate under parliamentary privilege she did not want to take away from Ms Higgins' experience, and placed her faith in the Liberal party that her complaint was being taken seriously](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72153909-12197229-She_told_the_Senate_under_parliamentary_privilege_she_did_not_wa-a-8_1686808925500.jpg)
She told the Senate under parliamentary privilege she did not want to take away from Ms Higgins’ experience, and placed her faith in the Liberal party that her complaint was being taken seriously
![Liberal Senator David Van (pictured) says the only time he touched Senator Lidia Thorpe was when shook her hand after her maiden speech following the explosive allegations](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72149899-12197229-Liberal_Senator_David_Van_pictured_says_the_only_time_he_touched-a-9_1686808925841.jpg)
Liberal Senator David Van (pictured) says the only time he touched Senator Lidia Thorpe was when shook her hand after her maiden speech following the explosive allegations
Just hours earlier, Senator Van had vehemently denied her allegations for the third time – conceding, however, that he had moved offices after she made complaints.
Mr Van said Ms Thorpe raised allegations then ‘through her leadership to our leadership’ that he closely ‘followed her into the chamber’ in 2021, and that left her feeling ‘uncomfortable’.
Mr Van said bumping into her in the corridors of parliament as they made their way into the Senate was unavoidable given the proximity of their offices.
‘At times I’ve been in front of her, at times I have been behind her, but at no time did I harass her… I barely even said hello,’ he said.
In response to Ms Thorpe’s complaint, Mr Van said he was ‘offered another office’ further away from hers and accepted it.
In her initial bombshell speech to parliament, Ms Thorpe said: ‘I just want to relay I’m feeling really uncomfortable when a perpetrator is speaking about violence.
‘This person harassed me, sexually assaulted me, and the prime minister had to remove him from his office.
‘And to have him talking about this today is an absolute disgrace. On the whole party.’
Mr Van categorically denied the allegations immediately afterward in the Senate, several hours later in a media statement and again this morning on 2GB.
‘I can say I think with some surety the only time I’ve ever even touched her would have been shaking her hand after her maiden speech,’ he said.
‘I have not harassed her in any way, shape or form.’
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/15/07/72150633-12197229-image-a-10_1686808925844.jpg)
Mr Van vehemently denied the allegations on Wednesday, insisting ‘it is simply not true’, prompting Senator Thorpe to storm out of the Senate. Above with his partner Nerilee