WA Opposition Leader Troy Buswell was publicly humiliated after admitting inappropriate behaviour in 2005 towards a female staff member in his staff. The reported incident, and the emotion he displayed at last week's media conference, has become a media plaything that has paradoxically turned Buswell himself into a victim.
There have been a number of attempts at damage control since the media conference. It is unfortunate that they have been directed more towards the electibility of the party than the damage to the dignity of the human beings involved.
At the time of the media conference, it was not clear where the incident was going. It seems some even thought the admission might give Buswell and the WA Liberals some degree of political traction ahead of the state election expected later this year. There were dissenters, but party members appeared steadfast in their loyalty to the leader. Deputy Kim Hames described Buswell as a 'rough diamond with a robust sense of humour'.
It left the party open to public speculation that they were revelling in the fresh turn of events that had perversely made their leader the stuff of popular legend, at least among other rough diamonds in the electorate.
It was not far-fetched to compare Buswell with fellow newsmaker Cory Worthington Delaney, whose irresponsible party boy antics won him star status earlier this year. There is no turning back for Worthington, with his much-heralded gatecrashing of Channel Ten's Big Brother household taking place last night. The public lauding of Delaney has given acceptability to gatecrashing parties and, by extension, the invasion of people's private space.
But for Buswell, it's turning out to be a different story. He was roundly condemned by radio talkback callers late last week. As late as Friday, he was still arguing that he was the best person to lead the party to the election. But the consensus in his party was shifting quickly, and he is likely to lose the leadership in a spill today or tomorrow.
It has become clear that Buswell is no longer the appropriate person to lead the WA Liberals. But what is most unfortunate about the succession of events is that the party appears to have been prompted to act only when it became obvious that its electibility was at stake. The issue of Buswell's actions was secondary.
Eureka Street will soon publish an article on workplace bullying, written by former Victorian Equal Opportunity Commissioner Moira Rayner.