Senator David Van has been removed from the Liberals’ party room by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Dutton said he was notified of other allegations overnight and today.
The Liberal senator has strenuously denied the claims made by Thorpe, labelling them as “completely unfounded” and “disgusting”.
“A short time ago, I advised Senator Van of my decision that he should no longer sit in the Liberal Party party room,” the opposition leader said.
“At the outset, I want to make clear, very clear that I’m not making any judgement on the veracity of the allegations or any individual’s guilt or innocence. I make that very clear.
“In relation to the movement of offices, Senator Thorpe made the allegation yesterday in the Senate. I wasn’t aware of the detail of Senator Van moving office. But I’ve conducted inquiries in relation to that matter overnight.
“I’m advised that the action at the time that was taken was to the satisfaction of both Senator Thorpe and the Greens Senate leadership team. And I’ll leave my statement there.”
Speaking in the Senate after Dutton’s announcement, Van said he accepted that he would no longer sit in the party room, but also called for an investigation into the claims made against him.
“There should be and must be an investigation into these outrageous claims so that they can be proved to be false,” he said.
“I will fully cooperate with the investigators and answer any questions that they may have of me and Senator Thorpe should do the same.”
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He also repeated his denial of the allegations made against him by Thorpe.
“I have acknowledged publicly that I moved offices after an allegation from Senator Thorpe that I made her feel uncomfortable,” Van said.
“That was what was put to me. An allegation that I denied then and I deny today. I agreed to move offices to ensure the avoidance of any misconception.
“No incident was alleged by her.
“I agreed to protect myself against her irrational concerns and ensure the effective and smooth running of the parliament.”
She also told the Senate a man – who she did not identify – had cornered her in a parliamentary stairwell.
9news.com.au does not suggest she was talking about Van.
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