His sordid past revealed

EXCLUSIVE by LUKE McILVEEN

August 31, 2005

JOHN Brogden was forced to
quit the NSW Liberal leadership because a raft of fresh allegations of
sexual misconduct was set to destroy his career.

They include propositioning women for group sex and harassing Opposition staff at State Parliament.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Mr Brogden exited the
leadership in record time because the harassment of three female
journalists and his racist Helena Carr jibe was only a sample of his
behaviour towards women.

It has now emerged that Mr Brogden suggested that two women have sex
with him, during a boozy Christmas party in his parliamentary office in
2003.

The incident was just one in a catalogue of shameful performances that
forced the former Opposition leader to quit before the full extent of
his behaviour became public.

Mr Brogden then suggested the trio should have sex, but was instantly rebuffed.

"He jokingly made this suggestion about threesomes," one of the women
said yesterday. The women yesterday revealed details of the night on
the condition of anonymity.

They had not planned to go public until details of Mr Brogden's drunken behaviour emerged this week.

On a day in which an avalanche of new allegations completed the demise
of Mr Brogden's once-clean character, it also emerged that he was seen
in the company of a blonde woman at an exclusive party for last year's
David Jones spring fashion launch.

The fashion industry worker told friends she was romantically involved
with Mr Brogden and paid him special attention at the party in August
2004, which was attended by supermodel Linda Evangelista.

The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that the father of Mr
Brogden's wife, Lucy, had serious concerns about the young female
staffers Mr Brogden employed to run his office.

Advisers to Mr Brogden raised concerns about his treatment of a young
female receptionist shortly after he seized the leadership in 2002.

Mr Brogden had suggested that, as part of a proposed "sharing" of
country trips between all his staff, the young secretary should
accompany him overnight.

Mr Brogden was advised that only press secretaries or relevant policy advisers would attend.

In another case, Lucy Brogden's father, former Liberal Party state
treasurer Frank Hooke, advised Mr Brogden to move then 25-year-old
Suzanne Tulloch out of his office in 1999 because colleagues had begun
to speculate about their relationship.

Ms Tulloch left to work in London before Mr Brogden made his failed
challenge against then leader Kerry Chikarovski in June 2000.

Ms Tulloch, who has returned to Sydney after working overseas, denied
they were anything but friends, but said she could understand that
people were talking.

"I think that I was a young girl working for Brogden and people were always going to talk," Ms Tulloch said yesterday.

"People see us having a laugh together then think, 'Oh, well, they must
be having sex'. It was just a man and a woman working together and we
had a very good friendship.

"I don't think it was ever an issue. I'm sorry for what he is going
through now. I would not go near a married man if my life depended on
it."

Mr Brogden's ambitions to become the next premier were destroyed this
week after he admitted sexually harassing women at a drinks function
hosted by the Australian Hotels Association.

After first denying his misbehaviour, Mr Brogden confessed to grabbing
the women and calling former premier Bob Carr's wife Helena a
"mail-order bride".

A spokesman for Mr Brogden was last night still preparing a response to the latest revelations .