The Canberra Liberals have distanced themselves from former leader Leanne Castley's allegation that she was threatened with physical assault, saying the remark related to an 'animated discussion' that was quickly resolved.
Canberra Liberals MLA Chiaka Barry and party leader Mark Parton have distanced themselves from former leader Leanne Castley 's allegation that she was threatened with physical assault.
The Canberra Liberals have hosed down allegations by their former leader Leanne Castley that she had been threatened with physical assault. , saying she had had "enough of being part of an organisation with such a toxic culture". She alleged that over the past 18 months, she had "experienced bullying, intimidation, lies, and even a threat of physical assault".
Today, current Liberal leader Mark Parton held a press conference, saying an "animated discussion" had taken place between himself, Ms Castley and Ginninderra MLA Chiaka Barry last month. Mr Parton said there was a "misunderstanding" during that conversation that had been "instantly cleared up". Chiaka Barry and Mark Parton say they believed Leanne Castley's claim of a physical threat was resolved at the time of a discussion.
"During the conversation, Chiaka said to Leanne, and I'll quote directly, 'if you come for me again, I'll come for you'. That's what she said,""When I heard Leanne raise allegations of threats of violence this week, I thought maybe she was talking about some other incident that I didn't have any knowledge of because, to my mind, this one had been dealt with.
"Although I have discussed it at management committee level, it's not being investigated because I'm not sure what we would investigate. " Ms Barry echoed Mr Parton's response to Ms Castley's allegations and also said she wanted to "clear the air". "I understand that Ms Castley perceived momentarily that there was a threat made against her, but after Mr Parton's intervention I very clearly clarified that this was not the case," Ms Barry said in a statement.
"Given the public discussion surrounding these events, I believe it is important to clear the air and confirm that concerns raised at the time were addressed immediately. "Castley accuses party of tolerating, minimising 'poor behaviour' In a statement this afternoon, Ms Castley confirmed she had now made a formal complaint about the matter.
"Opposition members' comments in the last 36 hours demonstrate the culture I have walked away from: a party that tolerates poor behaviour and then seeks to minimise it when concerns are raised," she said.
Act Local Stories Chiaka Barry Leanne Castley Canberra Liberals Act Legislative Assembly Politicians Accusations Disagreement Resignation Bullying Mark Parton Independent Leader
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