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Frank Zumbo has defended his behaviour while running the office of former federal MP Craig Kelly, denying allegations he inappropriately touched women working in the office, or kissed them against their will.
He told Sydney’s Downing Centre local court he always treated women in the office with respect, saying if they said they did not want to be kissed on the cheek or hugged, he would accede to that.
A young woman who was allegedly sexually touched by Frank Zumbo felt “done with life” and told a friend she had worn a specific item of clothing hoping to avoid being assaulted, a court has heard.
Zumbo – chief of staff and senior adviser to the former federal MP Craig Kelly – would regularly grope the young female staff member when they were alone in Kelly’s office, she told Sydney’s Downing Centre local court.
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A young woman felt “fucked up” and “traumatised” after finishing working with a senior staff member of former MP Craig Kelly, only feeling safe once she had moved away from Sydney, a court has heard.
Francesco “Frank” Zumbo, 55, is facing 20 charges, including sexual touching and indecent assault, related to accusations made by five women between 2014 and 2020.
A senior staff member of former MP Craig Kelly told a young woman that no man she could marry would ever love her more than he did, despite her telling him she had no romantic interest in him and repeatedly rebuffing his requests for physical contact, a Sydney court has heard.
Francesco “Frank” Zumbo, 55, is facing 20 charges, including sexual touching and indecent assault, linked to accusations by five women between 2014 and 2020.
Former federal MP Craig Kelly’s office manager told a young female employee she was “very selfish” and “self-centred” for refusing to give him a “little thank you kiss”, a Sydney court has heard.
The trial of Francesco “Frank” Zumbo, 55, also heard covert recordings where he repeatedly referred to himself as an “ultimate feminist”.
Zumbo, who has pleaded not guilty to 20 charges including sexual touching, insisted on driving woman to work so Liberal ‘spies’ wouldn’t see her catch bus
Former federal MP Craig Kelly’s office manager gave gift card vouchers to a young female employee and asked her to kiss him on the lips to repay the gesture, a Sydney court has heard.
Francesco “Frank” Zumbo, 55, is facing 20 charges, including sexual touching and indecent assault, linked to accusations by five women between 2014 and 2020. The third alleged victim gave evidence on Friday at Downing Centre local court.
Zumbo is accused by five women of 20 charges including sexual touching and indecent assault and has pleaded not guilty to all charges
Former MP Craig Kelly’s office manager promised young female staffers career development and mentoring but instead used his “power and control” to allegedly sexually touch them.
Francesco Zumbo, 55, faced Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on Wednesday accused by five women of 20 charges including sexual touching and indecent assault between 2014 and 2020.
Clive Palmer’s mammoth campaign spend of close to $100m has failed to deliver his party results, with its primary vote failing to reach 5% across the country.
In both regional and metropolitan areas, the United Australia vote increased slightly to about 4.7%, and was strongest in Queensland where it polled close to 6%.
Craig Kelly is being investigated for billing taxpayers to fly to anti-vaccine mandate, anti-lockdown rallies in Melbourne, internal records show.
Kelly, the leader of the United Australia party, charged taxpayers for his flights to and from Melbourne for two rallies in November and December last year, which were organised chiefly as protests against Victoria’s pandemic powers and the Victorian premier, Dan Andrews.
Australia’s medicines regulator has issued a public statement saying its lawyers have written to United Australia Party leader Craig Kelly alleging the party has breached copyright and demanding it stop distributing “incomplete extracts” of adverse event reports relating to Covid vaccines which the TGA believes could be “seriously misleading”.
Since Kelly joined Clive Palmer’s UAP in late August, two unsolicited text messages have been sent to members of the public, the first telling people not to trust the major parties and the second linking to a UAP website hosting Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) vaccination reports that detail adverse reactions.
The preprint endorsing ivermectin as a coronavirus therapy has been widely cited, but independent researchers find glaring discrepancies in the data
The efficacy of a drug being promoted by rightwing figures worldwide for treating Covid-19 is in serious doubt after a major study suggesting the treatment is effective against the virus was withdrawn due to “ethical concerns”.
The preprint study on the efficacy and safety of ivermectin – a drug used against parasites such as worms and headlice – in treating Covid-19, led by Dr Ahmed Elgazzar from Benha University in Egypt, was published on the Research Square website in November.
Adam Bandt also says he has had it confirmed by Simon Birmingham that the staffer alleged to have raped Brittany Higgins was listed on the attorney-general’s lobbyist register
We got another piece of the information today and that shows is that the individual in question has actually been a lobbyist and the Attorney General lobbyist register which raises questions about how it is that someone who has been sacked from a position in the Government for what the Government says was a security breach but we suspect something more, and that is allowed to start operating as a lobbyist and all the privileges that gives.
We now need to know whether or not as a lobbyist this alleged rapist has been coming back and having meetings with ministers, ministerial staff, departmental officials because not only would they be incredibly inappropriate but it was staff in a situation they may be having to meet with someone that the Government knows has serious questions about them, is now an alleged rapist, coming back into the building and potentially having meetings.
Adam Bandt is also asked about a doctor being able to administer the Pfizer vaccine, without receiving the required training (the government had to correct the record, after originally being advised that the doctor had received the necessary training)
I guess I want to know why and how this situation could happen. It is concerning. I am a supporter of people getting vaccines. I got mine earlier this week as a show of my support.
I was asked by health authorities to do that and I said I would happily do it because I think it is important and I think the vaccination program and the role it needs to occur in a way that people have confidence in and I am very concerned about anything that could undermine confidence in the rollout and that is my main concern.
Doctors’ group lashes out at Liberal MP, saying ‘all public figures’ should ‘act responsibly’; Morrison government to face pressure on jobkeeper and jobseeker. Follow all the latest news and updates, live
Ed Husic is also asked about the CFMEU ad that depicts Scott Morrison driving a literal bus (called the omnibus) towards workers, which is meant to illustrate workers being hit by IR changes, and whether it goes too far:
Husic:
Some of the unions, or some people will try and characterise it in that way, and whether or not that works in their favour, to be putting it bluntly, I think there is a genuine concern about what the government’s industrial relations reforms will do, what impact they will have on working people.
When you go through the detail of what they are proposing, they will be seeing the greatest burden placed on working Australians and it’s just wrong. They shouldn’t have cuts to their take-home pay.
Ed Husic is on the ABC this afternoon, where he is asked about the topic of the day – government backbencher Craig Kelly and the government’s leadership refusal to censure him.
Husic:
The prime minister occupies an important place in the country, the words of the prime minister matter, the actions mean even more, and in this case allowing Craig Kelly to just keep rolling on the way he is, to undermine the investment of taxpayer dollars, in information campaigns to embrace the inoculation process, to help us deal with a Covid-19 pandemic that has crippled the economy for the best part of 2020, resulted in 2 million Australians being unemployed or underemployed and the vaccine bringing one way to bring us closer to normal, as it were, this is just wrong, that you could have a government MP being allowed by virtue of inaction by the prime minister for that to continue.
It shouldn’t, and if he did take this matter seriously it would be reined in and it wouldn’t be an issue and you and me wouldn’t be talking about it.