‘Incredibly brave’: Maitland MP weighs in on Luke Foley allegations

“I feel very deeply saddened by the situation Ashleigh Raper has been placed in,” Ms Aitchison, Labor’s Shadow Minister for Prevention of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, said in a statement.

“She is incredibly brave and I thank her for coming forward to tell her story in what have been extremely difficult circumstances.”

Ms Aitchison, who revealed last year that she was a sexual assault victim herself, was the only Hunter Labor MP to speak on the matter when contacted by the Newcastle Herald. 

“It is entirely appropriate for Luke Foley to resign from his position as Leader of the Opposition under the circumstances,” she said. 

Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle called for Mr Foley’s resignation in the hours before he quit.

“Politics, like the entertainment industry, is lagging far behind the rest of society in its handling of workplace sexual harrassment and bullying. We need a significant cultural shift in society so that women can feel safe and so that when they make a complaint it is taken seriously.

“The allegations against Luke Foley are serious and they are unacceptable.

“I am concerned that this issue has drawn out and caused such distress and anguish for the journalist at the centre of it.”