Man charged with common assault after allegedly headbutting Tony Abbott
Police have charged a 38-year-old man with common assault after the alleged headbutting of Tony Abbott.
The former prime minister said he was allegedly struck by a campaigner who asked to shake his hand after leaving a private function at the Hobart Mercury about 4pm on Thursday.
Mr Abbott said he was left with a "swollen lip."
On Friday afternoon, Hobart police confirmed they had charged a man with one count of common assault after Mr Abbott made a complaint to officers.
The man was granted conditional bail to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court on October 23.
On Friday, Mr Abbott spoke to reporters and described the act as "disturbing."
"I worry about the brave new world of same-sex marriage if this is how some of the people who are most enthusiastically working for it are behaving," he said.
Earlier in the day, CCTV footage was released showing Mr Abbott walking with a staffer outside the Custom's House Hotel on Morrison Street a short moment before he was allegedly assaulted.
Speaking to Sky News presenter Andrew Bolt on Thursday night, Mr Abbott said the alleged attack serves as a "reminder of how ugly [the same-sex marriage] debate is getting".
"He wasn't very good at it I've got to say, but he did make contact," Mr Abbott said when revealing the alleged assault on the Herald Sun columnist’s programme.
"The only damage was a very, very slightly swollen lip."
