Using porn to shame a work colleague is a crime

In any other workplace in Australia, distributing explicit photos of a work colleague to shame them would result in dismissal, yet Dominic Perrottet has gone in to defend Peter Poulos for doing just that.

At the very least, Poulos should have been sanctioned. By failing to take any action, Perrottet is sending the message that shaming female colleagues is perfectly acceptable.

It is not, and it never should be. Anybody that is accused of doing the same in any other workplace can now point to Poulos, claiming that he received no punishment, so why should they.

Of course, that argument would not stand up in any court in Australia, and it is extraordinary that Perrottet would so frivolously dismiss the matter, when it is probably a criminal act.

Whether the photos were in the public domain or not is irrelevant. It is the intent behind the act that should be taken into account.

It was a premeditated attack, designed to humiliate his victim. Poulos is nothing more than a predator.

Perrottet is a man who espouses family and Christian values, yet there is nothing Christian about glossing over what Poulos has done. How would Perrottet have reacted if the photos had been of his wife or mother?

By failing to take any action, Perrottet has added to any insult that Poulos may have managed to inflict on his victim. He has, in essence, told her he doesn’t think she is worthy of being defended.

This says as much about Perrotet as it does about Poulos. Both are showing a total lack of respect for women, or their female colleagues in the Liberal Party.

Politicians are held to a higher standard than most in the community, even though many fail to achieve this standard. They are our representatives, and the way they behave reflects on Australia both nationally and internationally.

It certainly reflects on the Liberal Party, but it is worth noting that some within the party have called for tougher action against Poulos.

Liana Ross, president of the Strathfield women’s branch, and Vivian Hodgson, secretary of the branch, have sent emails to high ranking NSW Liberals, including Maria Kovacic. The emails ask how Kovacic could justify this behaviour from Poulos.

Kovacic merely said that the Liberal Party did not condone the action, but dismissed it by saying the MP in question had asked that the matter be put to rest.

Of course the MP asked that the matter be put to rest. She knows what the Liberal Party culture is, and knows that the men, and some women, in the party will hound her out of politics if she pursues the matter.

They will destroy her life, making her more of a victim than she already is.

This is a problem that women in the workforce face right across Australia. If they complain about a male colleague, they become a target, and the offending male is often looked at as the victim of the women’s “pettiness.”

Even if they are successful in pursuing the matter through the courts or the Fair Work Commission, their careers will stagnate, and they will eventually be forced out of their jobs on some other pretext.

Perrottet needs to send a message to all workplaces that this is unacceptable. He needs to come down hard on Poulos, and show his support for the female MP. Instead, he has done nothing.

Let’s hope that the people of NSW remember this on election day.

Craig Hill is a Brisbane-based Social Justice Campaigner, Writer, Teacher and Business Consultant. He has campaigned for social justice in Australia, promoted human rights in China and worked with the homeless in Honolulu. He holds a Graduate Certificate in Education and a degree in Management.