Crikey Worm: Labor MP investigated over harassment claims

HUSAR HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS

Labor has launched a workplace investigation into Federal MP Emma Husar, after former staff from her Western Sydney electorate office came forward with allegations of verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation and personal demands.

BuzzFeed has obtained access to a number of the specific complaints, and reports that an investigation commissioned by NSW Labor has been running since March and is expected to finish up in the coming days. Husar says she was “horrified” to learn of the bullying allegations and, while she has not responded to individual complaints, claims that no staff members had previously raised issues with her.

PUTIN’S “SUCCESSFUL” SUMMIT

Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to US critics of his first summit with American counterpart Donald Trump, saying the meeting was a “successful” start to repairing US-Russia relations despite “powerful forces” looking to sacrifice relations over an internal political battle.

The ABC reports that Putin’s comments, which also referenced a lapsing US-Russia arms treaty, cap off a week of intense criticisms of the US President. Trump has now moved from seemingly trusting Putin’s “extremely strong and powerful” denial of meddling in the 2016 election, to justifying a blind eye as necessary for foreign relations, to belatedly backtracking and claiming he initially “misspoke”, to now arguing that “the Fake News Media wants so badly to see a major confrontation with Russia, even a confrontation that could lead to war”.

GOING FOR GOLD

A South Korean company has claimed to have found the wreckage of a Russian warship carrying $180 billion worth of gold after it sank 113 years ago.

The ABC reports that divers for Seoul-based Shinil Group believe they discovered the remains of the 6200-tonne Dmitrii Donskoi, which reportedly sunk near an eastern Korean island during the 1904-5 Russo-Japanese war. However the company will have to wait until hoisting it out to see how much of the 200 tonnes of gold is currently on board. 

The news has triggered an investor frenzy, forcing South Korea’s financial regulator to issue a public warning against potential investment losses.

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THEY REALLY SAID THAT?

No, no. I’m a racist, and there’s been a 70% spike in the number of complaints to the Human Rights Commissioner in Victoria because I called people involved in home invasions African gang members, even though they’re of African descent and they’re involved in gang activity in Victoria.

Peter Dutton

The Home Affairs Minister sarcastically discusses the government campaign to stoke fear over the 1% of Victorian criminals who are Sudanese. 

CRIKEY QUICKIE: THE BEST OF YESTERDAY

Craig Kelly and why the right loves rootin’ for PutinBernard Keane

“Spare a thought for Sydney MP Craig Kelly, the real victim of his comments about how we all need to get over the shooting down by Russian-backed forces of MH17, which killed 38 Australians. ‘It’s very disappointing to see that some people have taken political advantage by taking my comments out of context,’ he told the ABC this morning. Yep, real disappointing, Craig. Though it’s unclear what ‘context’ explains saying ‘nothing is going to bring those three kids back’ to the father of some of the victims and that Russia’s crimes ‘have to be slightly looked over.’”

Australian policy condemns deported Tamil asylum seekerProfessor Damien Kingsbury

“When it comes to asylum seeker policy in Australia, one of its biggest blind spots concerns Sri Lanka and ethnic Tamils fleeing for their lives. Sri Lanka continues to marginalise and persecute Tamils, continuing to chase the ghost of the long destroyed Tamil separatist organisation the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil Tigers.”

Razer: how the class war got stuck in a 40 year loopHelen Razer

“A sassy lady walks into a room, throws down a big book and says, ‘This is what we believe now!’. It is with this literal thud that the world changed, apparently. The lady is Margaret Thatcher, the book is by FA Hayek and the famous bedtime story is still shared by ruling class toddlers today. It’s a dreamy way to describe the neoliberal revolution.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Ambulance Victoria sorry good Samaritan was chased by debt collectors

WA Equal Opportunity Commission reminds woman of breast feeding and pumping rights

Qantas executives, who arrive in the Territory today, are being urged to make Alice Springs the home of a new $20 million flight academy ($)

Farmers accuse government of putting power profits before them ($)

National Farmers Federation says electricity best place to make emissions cuts

Four dolphins stranded at Pipe Clay Lagoon on Hobart’s Eastern Shore ($)

Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge flags values test for migrants ($)

Black economy crackdown: 8 million ABN holders face fee slug

Australian terrorist Neil Prakash released from Turkish prison ($)

Israeli Knesset passes Jewish nation-state law

North Korea has 2.6 million ‘modern slaves’, new report estimates

WHAT’S ON TODAY

Canberra

• Release of the final report into South Australian federal seat boundaries.

Perth

• WA Premier Mark McGowan will speak at the opening of Icon Cancer Centre in Rockingham, where local patients will have closer access to radiation therapy services, chemotherapy services and PET-CT.

• Chief Justice Wayne Martin will retire after more than 12 years on the bench, and the court will hold a special public sitting of the full bench at the David Malcolm Justice Centre to formally farewell him.

Melbourne

• Anti-fascists will protest outside of Lauren Southern and Stefan Molyneux’s speaking event in Melbourne.

Adelaide

• Day one of the three-day anime and video gaming conference AVCon.

• Former Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie will hold a community forum in Summertown ahead of the Super Saturday byelection.

Sydney

• Sea Shepherd’s ship The Steve Irwin is expected to dock in Circular Quay and will be available for tours until departing Sunday.

• The funeral for television industry giant Sam Chisholm will be held at St Swithun’s in Pymble, Sydney. He died July 10, aged 78.

Brisbane

• Queensland Museum Chair David Conry, and Acting CEO and Director Dr Jim Thompson will host a book launch and author talk for Greg Czechura and Jeff Hopkins-Weise’s Mephisto: Technology, War and Remembrance, to mark the 100th anniversary of the capture of Mephisto on the Western Front.

• Entrepreneur, investor and “shark” on Shark Tank Australia Dr Glen Richards will speak at a Bastille Day Business Breakfast with the French-Australian Chamber of Commerce.

• Day one of the three-day Australian Tattoo Expo.

• The Glass and Glazing Industry Awards 2018 will be held tonight at the Hotel Grand Chancellor.

Burnie, Tasmania

• Greens Senator for Tasmania Nick McKim and candidate for Braddon Jarrod Edwards will announce the party’s policy to protect and manage takayna/Tarkine.

Katanning, WA

• WAFarmers will hold a live export meeting, with WA Agriculture Minister Alannah MacTiernan, Nationals WA leader Mia Davies, and federal Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce to attend.

Katherine, NT

• Opening day for the Katherine Show.

Byron Bay, NSW

• Opening day for Splendour in the Grass music and arts festival.

London, England

• Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defence Minister Marise Payne speak with their UK counterparts, Jeremy Hunt and Gavin Williamson at an AUKMIN meeting. It’s the first meeting since Boris Johnson resigned.

Global

• Kids all over the world will participate in Moonhack, a world record attempt for the highest number of kids hacking on the same day.

THE COMMENTARIAT

NEG vote will be reality check for emissions cuts — David Crowe (The Age): “The August 10 meeting to consider national energy policy is turning into a moment of truth for all sides of politics on climate change and energy. No single meeting or policy will ever settle the disputes over cuts to carbon emissions, but the stakes are incredibly high over the next few weeks.”

Blind Justice? Not in our experience — Nat Cromb (IndigenousX): “I am claustrophobic. I don’t like enclosed spaces and if someone hugs me for too long, I tend to be forceful in ending it. If anyone restricts the movement of my arms I lose reason and flail, resisting the feeling of restraint. If police officers tried to restrain me, I would instinctively try to pull my arms free and resist. It is my instinct, something I cannot help. This response to the terror of being restrained could get me killed. It is all too real. This happened to David Dungay Jr, an Indigenous man who died horrifically in custody and is now the subject of an inquest.”

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