Sacked radio host Jeremy Cordeaux has defended his comments about former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, who alleges she was raped by another staffer in senior federal minister Linda Reynold’s office. Higgins in return took to Twitter to respond.
On Saturday, Cordeaux referred to Higgins as a “silly little girl who got drunk” during his weekend radio show on Adelaide network FIVEaa.
On air-records released later also showed him saying, “now, why are we going through these machinations about this young woman?”
“She should have her bottom smacked,” he said. “Why on earth would she go out and get herself in that kind of compromising situation?”
Cordeaux was sacked the next day, and the network formally apologised to Higgins on air.
On Twitter, Higgins said, “I’m grateful to Nova Entertainment and FIVEaa for standing up for the one in five Australian women who will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.”
“I politely disagree Mr Cordeaux. No, I do not deserve to have my “bottom smacked.”
“This rhetoric isn’t helpful especially given the cultural reckoning about consent that is taking place across the country.”
“Instead of seeking to modify the behaviour of victims, let’s try to address how we can deter perpetrators of sexual crimes.”
Cordeaux, however, has defended his comments to Adelaide Now. He said, “it’s basically what I would say to my own daughters, which is…men, and even some men you know, are predators.”
Cordeaux has also described his comments as “perfectly true”, and said that he wouldn’t apologise to Higgins, rather he would “say to her, would I be right in saying that I feel you’ll never be that silly again?”
“Have you learned your lesson?”
“Do you understand that you can’t trust men in general, colleagues perhaps, in particular?”
Social media users have derided Cordeaux’s comments.
In a reply to Higgin’s tweet, one user said, “spot on Brittany. It is a shame you have to explain what should be common decency and common sense to grown men.”
Another said, “your poise and dignity in the face of such revolting and despicable affronts is why you have inspired and empowered a nation.”
Featured Image: Seven News
