Police and parliamentary authorities are looking into a Tuesday night altercation between 70-year-old Senator Brian Burston and a staffer for populist Senator Pauline Hanson. In a statement, Burston said he "reported the full matter to the Australian Federal Police" and was asking for a restraining order against the aide. Aide James Ashby -- who had been instrumental in Hanson gaining outsized influence in Australian politics -- has been banned from parliament. The confrontation, which was caught on camera, took place as Burston accused Hanson of years of unwanted sexual advances and Hanson accused an unnamed senator -- believed to be Burston -- of sexual misconduct. Amid the most recent spat, the Guardian reported that a female aide once accused Burston of offering sex to cheer her up.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 14, 2019 06:04 UTC