‘Not a thing to say’: Liberal MP Jamie Briggs refuses to answer questions
A Liberal MP has repeatedly refused to answer questions from the journalist who broke a story revealing sexual harassment allegations against him by a young female staffer.
An awkward stand-off between MP Jamie Briggs and ABC reporter Anna Henderson was captured on TV cameras as the red-faced Liberal member responded frostily to all questions put to him with the same short answer.
“I have not a thing to say to you, Anna," Briggs said.
Henderson has initially asked Briggs about his potential prospects ahead of Election Day this Saturday.
“Mr Briggs can we just get a quick word from you about how you think things are going in Mayo?” Henderson asked.
“Talk to the Prime Minister Anna, thanks,” he initially responded.
“We just wanted to get an idea of how you think things are going in your electorate?” Henderson then asked, to a clearly uncomfortable Briggs.
“I have not a thing to say to you, Anna,” Briggs shot back.
When further pressed, Briggs simply repeated his initial reply; “I have not a thing to say to you”.
When Ms Henderson asked why, he responded: “You know very well why I don't want to talk to you.”
Henderson then asked why Briggs would not answer.
He replied, “You know very well why I don't want to talk to you.”
"You'll find out Saturday, Anna," he finally said.
Late last year Briggs resigned after admitting to engaging in inappropriate behaviour towards a female public servant while on a ministerial visit in Hong Kong in late November.
It is understood he called her eyes "piercing" before touching her face and kissing her on the cheek or neck.
They had been out drinking in a Hong Kong nightclub district.
His Facebook account suggested it was a big night, with one picture of hangover food at McDonald's the next day, along with other posts about how Qantas lost his luggage.
At a press conference last year Briggs said, "At no point was it my intention to act inappropriately".
While many people in his Adelaide Hills electorate said they were not accustomed to seeing him at his local office, their reaction to his resignation was widely mixed.
One woman said: “he deserves what he got,” while another said that, in his role, “you’ve got to be squeaky clean”.
“What politician hasn't made a mistake?” was the response of one constituent, while another man said the incident will not “make any difference to (Mr Briggs) getting in next year” because “he's very popular up here”.
The standing down of special minister Mal Brough on the same day as Briggs’ resignation last year prompted calls for a cabinet reshuffle.
News break – June 28
