‘Where was Lucy?’: Labor defence of Liberal ‘pioneer’ backfires
A Labor MP publicly throwing her support behind a Liberal attacked at her own women’s party meeting is being asked where she was when her own colleague was being targeted.
Labor Minister Lucy Hood said Liberal Leader Ashton Hurn “must condemn” comments made by anti-abortion lobbyist Joanna Howe this week criticising a prominent former Liberal Minister.
But her rush to support former Liberal Attorney-General Vickie Chapman backfired when Hood was asked why there was no press conference when the same lobbyist targeted her parliamentary colleague and now Speaker of the House, Nat Cook.
A Liberal spokesperson said today, “the question must also be asked, where was Lucy when the same individual was a member of the SA Labor Party attacking her own female Labor colleagues?”
The spokesperson was referring to Howe’s previous social media content criticising Labor members, including Cook, legislative councillors Mira el Danawi, Emily Bourke, and Deputy Premier Kyam Maher.
In a video posted by Howe on March 22, Howe followed Cook around a Hurtle Vale polling booth after Cook repeatedly declined an interview. After staff asked Howe to leave, doors were locked, and police were called.
There was no press conference held by the Labor Party about Howe at the time. However, a letter was sent to Howe revoking her membership of the Labor Party, sent on April 16.
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Howe has denied any wrongdoing, and in July said she had filed legal proceedings in the Magistrates Court against SA Police over the incident.
“Labor’s obsession with internal Liberal Party branch meetings is another sign it’s not focused on getting things right for the state,” the Liberal spokesperson said.
“Of course the parliamentary team doesn’t support disrespectful comments directed at former or current Liberal Members of Parliament – or anyone for that matter.”
Hood held a press conference on Thursday morning after InDaily exclusively revealed details of Chapman being criticised after trying to stop Howe from filming the Liberal Women’s Council Meeting.
Howe made comments on the night and published a video to YouTube criticising former Attorney General Vickie Chapman, among other moderates and conservatives within the Liberal party.
InDaily understands Ashton Hurn was not present for Howe’s speaking appearance with conservative federal backbencher and Liberal President candidate Alex Antic.
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When asked today why the Labor Party was condemning Howe’s comments now, Hood said “because it’s unacceptable to call a pioneering woman of the Liberal Party, someone who was the state’s first female premier, the state’s first female Attorney General, a witch”.
She added that the party had revoked Howe’s membership last month following concerns Howe had campaigned against the Labor Party, and that “we’re the ones backing our female MPs”.
“I’m personally pleased that she is no longer a member of the Labor Party, but anyone can join up to a political party, and it takes someone to actually invite them into the fold, to give them a platform, to give them a stage, and that’s what we saw this week,” Hood said.
Hood said the events this week showed “the destruction of the once great Liberal Party that is now turning into a far-right Fringe party”
Speaking to InDaily today, Nat Cook said she felt supported by the Labor Party at the time of the polling booth incident, and that there was “no better” expression of support than Howe’s ejection from the party, which was supported “by the Premier right down”.
“At the time I felt supported by the party; this was at the time close to the election, and I’ve taken steps since then, and spoken to parliamentary colleagues and other speakers about turning the temperature down,” Cook said.
“Getting to a point of name-calling, Joanna Howe is not doing herself any favours.”
Howe told InDaily yesterday that she was “not a member of the Liberal Party”, “had no plans to make a donation to the Liberal Party”, and that the event had “an extraordinary show of support for free speech”.
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