"Advice I give to my own daughter": Sacked radio star defends comments
Veteran broadcaster Jeremy Cordeaux has defended his on-air comments about Brittany Higgins, despite being sacked for the crude words.
Cordeaux on Monday was dismissed from his role hosting the weekend breakfast show at Adelaide radio staton FIVEaa after he said that alleged rape victim Ms Higgins was a "silly girl who got drunk".
"She should have her bottom smacked," he claimed on Saturday.
He also said she should not have allowed herself to get in "that kind of compromising situation".
When speaking to 7News Adelaide on Monday after his sacking, the 75-year-old defended his comments.
"The advice I give to my own daughter: 'Do not go out and get drunk. Regardless of how well you may know the people around you, do not put yourself in harm's way. Be on guard all the time, don't be a silly little girl'," he said.
Cordeaux also laid blame again on the Parliament House security team for allowing Ms Higgins into the building while intoxicated.
He went on to argue that talkback radio is not for sitting on the fence.
"I have no regrets for what I said," Cordeaux said.
Ms Higgins thanked Nova Entertainment for their decision to sack Cordeaux.
"I politely disagree Mr Cordeaux. No, I do not deserve to have my 'bottom smacked'," she wrote on Twitter.
"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."
On Saturday, Cordeaux called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to "stop worrying about offending somebody" and to "call [Ms Higgins' claim] out for what it is".
“If this girl has been raped, why hasn’t the guy who raped her been arrested? Apparently everyone knows his name," he said.
I’m grateful to @NovaEntAU and @1395FIVEaa 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”. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/5MQqXWeXud— Brittany Higgins (@BrittHiggins_) March 29, 2021
Nova Entertainment said in a statement that Cordeaux's comments were "completely inappropriate and offensive".
Ms Higgins alleges she was raped in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office in 2019 by a colleague.
Since then, her claims have inspired a league of women to come forward with their own alleged experiences of abuse and inappropriate behaviour in parliament.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has vowed to change the current culture and injustices women face in Canberra and throughout the nation.