Jamie Briggs has announced his resignation as minister for cities and the built environment, after alleged inappropriate conduct toward a female government staffer in a Hong Kong bar in November.
Briggs visited Hong Kong to meet with transport officials, including Victor Chan, the general manager of property development for rail operator MTR.
With Victor from the Hong King MTR travelling from Kowloon and Hong Kong station, an incredible value capture model pic.twitter.com/JV7aOd78S2
— Jamie Briggs (@BriggsJamie) November 27, 2015
On the evening of Friday, November 27, Briggs was joined by his chief of staff Stuart Eaton, as well as a female staffer from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), for dinner and drinks in Hong Kong’s Lan Kwai Fong district, according to multiple reports.
The woman, whose identity has been kept anonymous, was reportedly made uncomfortable by some of Briggs’ behaviour at the venue.
According to one report in The Australian, Briggs allegedly told the staffer she had “beautiful eyes”. It was also alleged by several sources that Briggs kissed the staffer on the neck or cheek at the conclusion of the evening.
Making matters worse for the minister, a photograph which was published in The Australian and on several other sites, featuring Eaton with the DFAT staffer at the bar, was said to have come from Briggs’ mobile phone, and to have been circulated by Briggs to a number of his colleagues following the alleged incident.
Reports suggest the staffer’s initial concerns following the evening’s events were passed on to DFAT secretary Peter Varghese and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, leading Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to reportedly order an independent investigation.
How Briggs’ resignation was reported by the Daily Telegraph. Photo: Daily Telegraph / Twitter
Briggs tendered his resignation from his front-bench role on December 29.
“At the conclusion of the official programme for the day, my chief of staff and I went for dinner and we invited several other officials of which one female public servant agreed to attend,” Briggs explained.
“At the conclusion of the dinner, which I paid for personally, we went to a popular and, as it transpired, very crowded bar for drinks during which we interacted between the three of us and with others in what I believed, at the time, was an informal manner.
“At the conclusion of the evening, the public servant left to return home and my chief of staff and I returned to our hotel together.
“At no point was it my intention to act inappropriately, and I’m obliged to note, for the record, that nothing illegal has been alleged, or in fact did occur.”
Briggs said he has apologised directly to the staffer.
“But after careful reflection about the concerns she raised, and the fact that I was at a bar, late at night, while on an overseas visit, I have concluded that this behaviour has not met the particularly high standards for ministers,” he said.
Briggs was the first minister for cities since John Carrick was appointed minister for urban and regional development under Malcolm Fraser in 1975.
While other ministers have held transport and infrastructure roles in the recent past, Turnbull said in appointing Briggs that the role was designed to provide a new way forward for Australia’s cities, and for urban transport.
Appointed on September 21, Briggs held the ministerial role for just 100 days. His role will now be taken over by environment minister Greg Hunt.
“Ministers are expected to uphold high standards of behaviour as set out in the Ministerial Standards,” Turnbull said upon accepting Briggs’ resignation.
“On this occasion his conduct fell short of that standard. After being invited to reflect on his position, he offered his resignation which I have accepted.”
Turnbull said while he was disappointed by “the conduct that led to his resignation,” he believed Briggs was capable in his service as minister.
“I look forward to Mr Briggs continuing to make a valuable contribution to the work of the government in the future.”