Former Liberal party member Julia Banks has revealed that the bullying she experienced during the Liberal’s leadership coup came colleagues who were supporting Scott Morrison’s bid to become Prime Minister.
Banks had not previously indicated who was behind the bullying she experienced and it had been speculated that supporters of Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton were responsible.
In a new interview with Woman’s Weekly the member for Chisholm outlined her reasons for supporting then Foreign minister Julie Bishop’s bid for the top job. Banks says when she declared she was supporting Bishop she received a relentless barrage of phone calls and pleas for her to change her vote to supporting Scott Morrison.
Banks says she was adamant that she would be voting for Bishop because she believed she was the best person for the leadership role.
“She’s 20 years in the parliament, lauded as the best foreign minister in the world, communication skills of a genius, and a woman,” Banks said.
“Seriously a true Liberal, and we knew Julie Bishop was Labor’s worst nightmare. I thought if it loses by one vote and it’s Peter Dutton then I’ll quit straight away.”
Bishop only received eleven votes in the first ballot, and a second vote saw Treasurer Scott Morrison elected to become the new Prime Minister. Banks said she was devastated by the result.
The politician said after she made her concerns about bullying in the party public she was offered a three month secondment to the United Nations headquarters in New York. She turned it down, seeing it as an attempt to keep her quiet. Shortly afterwards she quit the party and moved to the crossbench.
In the interview Banks details how she regularly fought with members of the Liberal party’s right wing who didn’t support her socially progressive views.
Banks has yet to declare if she’ll run as an independent in the next federal election. The Liberal party has announced party fundraiser and anti-marriage equality campaigner Gladys Liu will be their candidate.
OIP Staff
