Australian opposition party expels senator over sexual misconduct allegations

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s main opposition party has expelled a senator after a female senator accused him of sexual assault and a former senator said he squeezed her buttocks, in the latest evidence of a toxic culture in Parliament House that is hostile to women. Opposition leader Peter Dutton said he expelled Sen. David Van from the conservative Liberal Party on Thursday following allegations made in Parliament by independent Sen. Lidia Thorpe of harassment and sexual assault. Van has denied the allegations. Successive governments have attempted to improve codes of conduct in Parliament House and strengthen staff complaint mechanisms since a government staffer alleged she was raped while drunk by colleague in a minister’s office in 2019.