The National Party is unaware if Dr Nick Smith will return to Parliament after announcing his resignation while revealing a complaint against him for a ve
Explainer: Trevor Mallard s false rape claim and how we got to last night s messy debate
5 May, 2021 12:40 AM
9 minutes to read
Speaker Trevor Mallard started this whole sage when he wrongly accused a parliamentary worker of rape - two years ago. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Speaker Trevor Mallard started this whole sage when he wrongly accused a parliamentary worker of rape - two years ago. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Explainer
The National Party calling for Speaker Trevor Mallard to be removed this morning is the latest in long-running saga that has almost clocked two years. It follows a heated debate in the House last night on Mallard s settlement with a former staffer who he falsely accused of rape. In the debate - and under legal immunity of parliamentary privilege - Mallard said the former staffer had committed serious sexual assault.