By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams has “vehemently” denied claims in Parliament that she bullied a former Labor MP.
Upper House MP Kaushaliya Vaghela told State Parliament on 9 March that Ms Williams and Premier Daniel Andrews were part of a “systematic bullying campaign against me”.
At length, she described bullying comprised of “seeking to undermine, isolate and exclude me” after she switched Labor factions.
The ALP’s factional culture was “toxic” and “corrosive”, she said.
“It is not conducive to women”.
Ms Vaghela had earlier in the week resigned from the Labor Party.
She was facing ejection from the party after recently crossing the floor of Parliament to support her former factional ally and ex-Labor MP Adem Somyurek’s motion for IBAC to investigate the ALP red shirts rorting scandal.
In a Parliamentary debate, the State Government immediately denied Ms Vaghela’s allegations.
“They are simply not true,” Upper House Government whip Nina Taylor told the House.
Ms Williams, who is the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence, for Women and for Aboriginal Affairs, tweeted the allegations were “politically motivated”.
“More than 18 months ago I was the subject of a vile and vicious misogynistic tirade by Adem Somyurek, which was broadcast on national television,” Ms Williams stated.
“That attack is now being continued in the media and in Parliament, by proxy.
“I vehemently repudiate these politically motivated allegations.
“I will not be commenting any further at this time.”
In her Parliamentary speech, Ms Vaghela said she received an “angry” text message from Ms Williams on 13 August 2018 after defecting from the Socialist Left faction to the party’s Right wing.
Ms Williams was “questioning my integrity and demanding an explanation”.
“I thought it was strange that Ms Williams thought that she had proprietorial rights over me.
“Little did I know that that text message was the opening salvo in the worst period of my life.
“For three-and-a-half years she has referred to me as a rat who cannot be trusted.”
Ms Vaghela said the “childish behaviour” included Ms Williams refusing to acknowledge her at official events.
“Ms Williams often says words matter. My word, they do, Minister, and so does behaviour. “
After Ms Vaghela switched factions, Mr Andrews – who is also the Noble Park North-based MP for Mulgrave – was a “different man towards me”, she claimed.
“He was hostile. He would not speak to or acknowledge me. He treated me like I was invisible.
“The Premier referring to me as ‘that person’ summed up his three years of interaction with me.
“By calling me ‘that person’ he stripped me of my name and my identity, therefore making me feel worthless—exactly how he made me feel in the three years of interactions I have had with him.”
She also named an adviser of Mr Andrews as well as one of his “close personal” friends as “ringleaders of a group of men who incessantly bullied, laughing, mocking and sneering at me”.
A social media post from a man aligned to the group called her a “circus monkey” for leaving the Socialist Left – leading Ms Vaghela to complain to Mr Andrews’s office.
She said Mr Andrews later “punished” her by excluding her from an important event he hosted for Indian community leaders. The ‘ringleaders’ were however invited, she said.
She claimed a member assaulted her husband at an event, and she was stood over by a staffer working at Mr Andrews and Gavin Jennings’ joint electorate office at an ALP conference.
In response to opposition questions, Mr Andrews told Parliament on 9 March that claims that he brushed past Ms Vaghela at events and embraced people who she’d complained about were “completely and utterly wrong”.
“I attend many, many functions. I do not behave in that way.
“I reject that assessment of my behaviour.
“And as far as serious issues with a staff member, that matter was dealt with comprehensively. It resulted in that staff member’s employment being terminated.”
Referring to the allegations, Mr Andrews said: “I do not, nor have I ever, nor would I ever, conduct myself in that way, and if anyone needs further evidence of that, have a look at the record of my time in this place and the record of our government.”
Mr Somyurek – whose office until recently was in Dandenong – described Ms Williams’s response as a “pathetic attempt to deflect three years of systematic bullying of a woman MP”.
“Shame on Dan & the minister for women for using this grubby tactic,” he stated on Twitter.
“I apologised immediately & lost my job. What has my private comments about you got to do with an independent women pursuing her rights?”
In June 2020, Mr Somyurek was secretly phone-tapped saying of Ms Williams that he’ll “get that f***ing bitch Gabrielle out”.
“I will force her out of the Ministry, that f***ing stupid bitch, when Andrews goes. She’s a stupid, stupid moll.”
Mr Somyurek soon after resigned from the party, clouded by the comments as well as allegations of branch-stacking which are being investigated by IBAC.
