Support for Anna Watson - who was targeted this week by One Nation MP Mark Latham - has come from all corners, with women's health advocates and political rivals praising her for her work advocating for women and domestic violence prevention.
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Earlier this week, Mr Latham used parliamentary privilege during budget estimates to claim that the Shellharbour MP tried to drive home "paralytically drunk" after drinking at a parliament bar.
Mr Latham said he was raising the allegations because he did not think Ms Watson should be on an advisory committee for the Broderick review into bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct in NSW Parliament.
Mr Watson issued a statement confirming she had been drinking with Mr Latham in August 2020 amid a personal crisis, but said she did not attempt to drive and was picked up by her husband
In another budget estimates hearing on Wednesday, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard praised Ms Watson for her work on women's health, labelling Mr Latham's claims about her as "absolutely irrelevant" and an attempt to undermine the review.
The comments came after Mr Hazzard objected to Mr Latham's questions about whether he avoided isolation and got preferential treatment after being in contact with a COVID-positive colleague.
"First of all, this question is about me and it is to do with health issues, so I don't know that this is appropriate - in fact I am sure it is not," he said.
"It is an exercise in bullying a health official.
"Based on yesterday's effort of Mr Latham publicly humiliating a Labor MP, a hard-working Labor female MP and then another female former Liberal MP and trying to undermine the Broderick report I object wholeheartedly..."
"He bullied two female MPs ... one Anna Watson, who is a really hard-working Labor MP, and he bullied her with an absolutely irrelevant comment about her.
"He has a history of bullying, mate, my lord, go back to 2003 - he broke a taxi driver's arm.
"His own book he referred to all his colleagues as snakes, freaks, arseholes and sewer rats. This man should not be asking questions which go beyond the reasonable realm of this committee.
"You do nothing but attack females."
Illawarra Women's Health Centre CEO Sally Stevenson also praised Ms Watson, saying her support for the centre and women across the state was "incredible".
"[We] would not be able to provide the service we do without her unrelenting, fierce and pragmatic advocacy and her ability to work across party lines for the benefit of all women," Ms Stevenson wrote on Twitter.
In particular, her support for the Illawarra Women's Trauma Recovery Centre - from the beginning - has been vital. Mark Latham's vile, disgraceful attack on her this week shows exactly why the Broderick Review on sexual harassment and bullying in NSW Parliament was necessary."
"It shows exactly the kind of behaviour women have to deal with day in day out."
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