High-profile barrister Charles Waterstreet has withdrawn from Q&A's #MeToo episode, due to air on Thursday night.
The ABC confirmed on Monday he would be part of the line-up but has since released a statement saying Mr Waterstreet “had to withdraw because of concerns about his appearance expressed to him by the NSW Bar Association”.
President of the NSW Bar Association, Arthur Moses SC told SBS News he wrote to Mr Waterstreet “informing him that it was my firm view that it was neither appropriate or prudent for him to appear … to discuss issues concerning the #MeToo anti-sexual harassment movement.”
Mr Moses said the reasons for that view were communicated to Mr Waterstreet and it is “not appropriate that those reasons be disclosed”.
The ABC said earlier: “It is disappointing Mr Waterstreet will not be able to contribute to the perspectives canvassed in tonight’s discussion.”
'Totally inappropriate'
Following earlier reports Mr Waterstreet was scheduled to appear on the program, SBS News spoke with a Sydney lawyer who said she was left “horrified” after an interview with Mr Waterstreet when she was just starting out in her legal career.
Mr Waterstreet said he could not remember the interview but denied anything that occurred could be described as inappropriate.
Alison Dutton, 37, alleged Mr Waterstreet showed her what she described as “semi-pornographic” photographs at his office in 2011.
She said the incident occurred after she responded to a “bizarre” job advertisement for a research assistant position with him, which she saw on the College of Law website. She told SBS News it contained words to the effect of: “You will be willing to sit at my feet and learn from the master”.
Ms Dutton said while she had reservations about the job description, graduate roles were difficult to come by at the time and she interpreted the ad as “eccentric; more quirky than sleazy”.
Ms Dutton alleged that early on in the interview, as they were making small talk about themselves, Mr Waterstreet showed her three to four photographs of a woman he claimed was his girlfriend, on his computer screen.
She said she thought the photos would be “happy snaps” but quickly discovered they were what she described as “totally inappropriate, certainly not for a job interview”.
Charles Waterstreet. Source: CrowdSpark.com / AAP
“He started talking about a book he had written and showed me semi-pornographic [photographs] of his alleged girlfriend at the time,” Ms Dutton said.
“She had her bum hanging out,” she said, adding the woman in the photographs was wearing a G-string bikini and the photos were shot from behind on a beach.
“There was no connection to a case or anything to do with the role,” she claimed.
Mr Waterstreet told SBS News in a statement: “There is no suggestion the photographs said by Ms Dutton to have been on my computer were inappropriate.”
He said he may have had material from a book he was working on with photographer Matt Granger at the time, which “would have included artistic photographs”.
“That material formed part of my work as a professional writer,” he said.
Mr Waterstreet wrote the forward for Granger’s ‘Private Bodies’ book, published in 2013, which claims to be an “art photography project that documents people from all walks of life, naked in their own homes”.
SBS News put Ms Dutton’s allegations about Mr Waterstreet to the NSW Bar Association.
Mr Moses said: “Sexual harassment is not condoned in any manner by the NSW Bar … The Association would urge any victims of sexual harassment by members of the NSW Bar to make a complaint to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner so that it can be investigated and in appropriate cases report the behaviour to Police.”
Left 'horrified'
Ms Dutton says the interview lasted about half an hour and ended when Mr Waterstreet said the role was unpaid.
“He said he couldn’t afford to pay me,” Ms Dutton claimed, adding she had assumed the role was paid.
Ms Dutton also claims an assistant of Mr Waterstreet at the time was present in the room during the interview. SBS News has made numerous efforts to make contact with the assistant.
Ms Dutton says she left the interview “horrified” and was upset by the way it had eventuated.
“I wasn’t experienced enough to know if this is normal or not,” she said.
Ms Dutton said she left with the impression she didn’t get the role but a few days later received a call from Mr Waterstreet’s assistant offering it to her for $100 a day. She declined to take the role.
Mr Waterstreet did not respond to questions about payment for the role.
'I didn’t want to damage my reputation'
While she said she felt Mr Waterstreet’s conduct was inappropriate for a job interview, Ms Dutton did not make a complaint at the time, fearing for her career.
“I was uncomfortable, but wasn’t prepared to make a song and dance,” she said.
“I didn’t want to damage any potential offers from elsewhere or my reputation.”
Ms Dutton now specialises in employment law, acting for victims of workplace bullying, unpaid wages and harassment.
She said it was “very uncomfortable” for her to speak out now, but felt it was the right thing to do.
“It is totally embarrassing, and that’s why I haven’t said anything for seven years,” she said.
Ms Dutton said she was considering making an official complaint to the Bar Association but is yet to do so.
“I feel almost responsible that I didn’t say anything to the incumbent research assistant - I feel quite upset about it actually.”
Previous allegations
Mr Waterstreet’s Q&A invitation attracted criticism following previous allegations made against him, which he has denied.
One of the allegations involved a law student claiming in a New Matilda article published in August 2017 that during a job interview with Mr Waterstreet, she was shown footage of a woman performing a sex act on a man.
Mr Waterstreet disputed the allegation in a piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald and argued the video was part of court case evidence.
A former employee of Mr Waterstreet also alleged to New Matilda that she was given a book of nude photos on her first day of working for him. He later responded to the allegations saying it was a Matt Granger book which he wrote the preface for.
Ms Dutton said she wanted to share her experience in support of the other women who had spoken out.
The NSW Bar Association said a procedure for complaints against legal practitioners is in place and “are dealt with in Chapter 5 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW). A complaint may be made by any person or body.”
Additional reporting: Rashida Yosufzai
