Geoff Lake calls Kathy Magee a slut

Geoff Lake

Labor has just pre-selected Lawyer Geoff Lake to run in Simon Crean's safe Victorian Labor seat of Hotham. "The measure of a man is what he does with power" Plato once said, and Geoff Lake is heading for Canberra.

Labor's shining light for Hotham, Lawyer Geoff Lake, has admitted he abused a woman in a wheelchair when he was mayor in 2002 and also admitted to stalking a political rival.

When Geoff Lake was a young mayor in 2002 and Kathy Magee was a fellow Monash Councillor, she did or said something to upset him.  "I lent over to Councillor Magee and said "I can't believe what you did you f...... bitch.  You are a .... for doing that" he said.

When documents were lodged with the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission, he admitted his behaviour was "demeaning and degrading" and offensive to women and said he was very sorry. "I was a young mayor and I got angry one night and I spoke to her in an angry way, which I acknowledged then and I acknowledge now" he said.

Kathy Magee

"If I had used any other word but 'slut' this would not be an issue" Lake said.

"When someone calls you a slut, it tends to be offensive" Ms Magee said.  "I have never had someone call me that before, you don't talk to a colleague like that, he was definitely an interesting person."  Ms Magee also claimed that Lake tried to charge drinks and brunch to her hotel account at a council conference, but it didn't work and he eventually paid up.

But wait, there's more!  Lake was also accused of stalking fellow councillor Tom Morrissey who applied for an intervention order. Lake accused him of rorting his travel expenses and gave out his mobile number which resulted in dozens of abusive phone calls. But he didn't stop there.  He went to his place of business and displayed placards, detailing how he had ripped off rate-payers.  Mr Morrissey has since passed away.

"I regret attending the business premises of Mr Morrissey.... and apologise" he wrote.

Late yesterday Lake rang Mr Magee to apologise again but it was too late, she had already spoken to the media.

Something is seriously wrong with Labor's pre-selection system if Lake is the best they can come up with. They either didn't know about his past or if they did, decided it didn't matter, but it does matter - a whole lot. There are already enough scoundrels in Canberra, we don't need another one. 

Edit 11 August 2013:  Kevin Rudd said it was "inappropriate for Mr Lake to continue as the endorsed Labor candidate for Hotham'' and asked for his resignation.