Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says it was an “absolute shock” to learn a press secretary working in his office was reported to police for allegedly recording audio of sex workers without their consent before joining his staff.
Luxon’s acting deputy chief press secretary, Michael Forbes, resigned yesterday morning after allegations emerged that he had recorded audio without the consent of Wellington sex workers, Stuff reported.
It was also alleged that the press secretary had images on his phone of women exercising at a gym, shopping, and taken through a window while getting dressed.
Speaking to media on the resignation, the PM said Forbes’ conduct had fallen “unacceptably short of the standards that I expect from our people”.
“My sympathy is with the women who raised these allegations and were made to feel unsafe due to the actions of this person,” Luxon said this morning.
“We had no awareness, no knowledge of it. The concerns were raised with us by a journalist at four o’clock on Tuesday,” he said, adding it’s a “complete shock to all of us”.
Forbes was immediately stood down and resigned the following morning.
Police investigated the allegations in July last year when Forbes was working for Social Development Minister Louise Upston, but decided against prosecution.
Luxon said the police file into his actions was not raised with his employer under the “no surprises” ministerial convention, and the allegations were not raised by Forbes himself.
“He was vetted coming into Louise Upton’s office. As I understand it, the incidents happened subsequent to that,” he said.
“He has an obligation to actually declare those issues or those incidences to us. That didn’t happen, which is why his employment would have been terminated.”
Police confirmed to 1News they received a complaint from a Wellington brothel in July last year after “concerning images and recordings” were found on a client’s phone, but determined the case “did not meet the threshold for criminal prosecution.”
The PM said there was now “clearly a need” to review the processes surrounding staff vetting, but refused to comment on whether police should’ve contacted Forbes’ employer earlier, saying he needed to uphold the “independence of the police”.
‘Deep dive’ to be carried out into process – Luxon
A “deep dive” would be carried out by the Department of Internal Affairs, Luxon said.
“When you have an incident like this, it actually creates a whole bunch of new questions.”
He added: “They need to do a deep dive on understanding how and what happened here and why. And importantly, then look at what we need to do to strengthen our processes.”
The situation has raised questions about privacy laws and other legislation, with some advocates calling for stronger laws around the recording of sex workers.
When asked if changes were needed, Luxon said: “I think many Kiwis will be incredibly concerned with this issue, as I am too. I’m open to looking at our settings again.
“Whether it’s the Harmful Digital Communications Bill, whether it’s privacy laws, whether it’s new stalking laws – but obviously this, we’re open to looking at that further as well.”
Staff who worked with Forbes are “understandably” angry and distressed, Luxon said.
“I know how hard our staff work. I know how hard they take this job… and for them, it’s pretty gutting,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he wasn’t aware of any allegations relating to Forbes of inappropriate behaviour at Parliament’s on-site gymnasium.
Before becoming a ministerial staffer, Forbes worked for the Ministry of Social Development, the National Party, and as a journalist at Stuff’s Wellington bureau, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile.
In a statement, Forbes said yesterday: “I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the women I have harmed.”
“In the past, I was in a downward spiral due to unresolved trauma and stress, and when confronted with the impacts of my behaviour a year ago, I sought professional help, which is something I wish I had done much earlier.
“What I failed to do then was make a genuine attempt to apologise. Instead, I tried to move on without offering those I had harmed the acknowledgement, accountability, or amends they deserved. I recognise how wrong that was.”
Forbes added he has spent the past year reflecting on “how I may have affected these women’s sense of safety” and “ability to go about their lives and work”.
“No one should ever feel violated, unsafe, or disrespected, especially in spaces where they should feel secure, and I am truly sorry for contributing to an environment where women may have felt otherwise.
“The therapy I’ve received over the past year has helped me to understand the roots of my behaviour and begin addressing the patterns that led to it. This is a long-term commitment to change that I take very seriously.
“I understand that my past actions may have undermined the trust people place in me. So, I have resigned from my job to focus on the work I need to do.”