Shadow treasurer David Davis has apologised after he subjected bar staff at a regional brewery to a late-night tirade after not getting the meal he wanted.
A day after details emerged of his drunken behaviour on the weekend at a gala dinner, The Age has learnt Mr Davis allegedly yelled and swore in an abusive manner at the Bright Brewery last year in a dispute about an unavailable squid dish and high-end wine.
David Davis (centre) with guests at the Multicultural Commission gala dinner on Saturday.
Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick witnessed the flare-up, while venue manager Rupert Shaw confirmed a staff member was distressed after the exchange with the veteran Liberal, who Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said on Thursday was on his final warning.
Mr Shaw, who was briefed on the incident by the upset staff member, said Mr Davis approached the bar to complain that the brewery’s kitchen had run out of the squid dish he had ordered.
“He was angry and said it’s on the menu so should be available,” Mr Shaw said.
“He eventually ordered an alternative and was asked for his table number. He said ‘you go and check the table number yourself’ and refused to even point in the direction of where he was sitting.”
Mr Shaw said Mr Davis then ordered a glass of an expensive wine that could only be ordered by the bottle. “He complained about this and gave the impression he was a person of importance and this should be done for him,” he said.
Mr Shaw said the male staff member – a “gentle” personality who was accustomed to difficult customers – approached him the next day to complain.
“He was really quite upset and he had to go and take a minute. For him to come to me and relay a story it has to be something pretty serious,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, Mr Davis said, “if any offence was caused, I apologise unreservedly”.
Jaclyn SymesCredit:Joe Armao
“No one can claim their behaviour is perfect,” he said in a written statement. “No-one from the establishment has raised any issues with me subsequent to the evening.
“It is troubling that it now appears I am the target of a political smear campaign.”
The Victorian Parliament held a formal meeting – voting and debating on bills – in Bright in April last year. The intention, according to the Parliament’s website, was so community members could “find out more about the Victorian Parliament and interact with [MPs]”.
Mr Meddick witnessed the incident and apologised to the venue staff on the night, while Jaclyn Symes the Attorney-General and government leader in the upper house, said sorry to the owners the next day after being briefed by a member of her staff who also witnessed the event.
MPs were dinning at the Bright Brewery in April last year
Mr Shaw wrote an email, seen by The Age, to Ms Symes on the day after the incident to thank her for apologising on behalf of the group of MPs. The manager, who no longer works at the company, said the staff who served Mr Davis appreciated the apology.
Mr Meddick was at the bar and witnessed the episode. “There was swearing – it was very forceful and abusive,” he said. “The manager came over to us to complain and I apologised to him on behalf of Parliament because I wanted him to understand this isn’t how we all behave.”
On Thursday, Mr Guy put Mr Davis, who is the leader of the opposition in the upper house, on a final warning but did not reprimand him for admitting to drinking too much and acting inappropriately towards guests at a gala dinner on Saturday.
Four witnesses said he was hugging men and women and talking in close proximity to people who did not want to engage with him. One person said they saw Mr Davis fall over on two different occasions on the night.
Mr Guy said he was “very upset” that he needed to confront the misdemeanours of Mr Davis, whom Labor ministers say should be punished for what Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio claimed was a pattern of behaviour.
The Coalition has been buoyed in recent months by internal polling indicating the contest with Labor is closer than published polls, which indicate a massive Labor lead, suggest. The opposition has been running a relatively disciplined message on the government’s handling of the health system, and Mr Davis’ scrutiny of the Andrews government’s infrastructure projects and high spending levels is one of the Coalition’s main assets.
But Mr Davis’ recent behaviour, along with Kew MP Tim Smith’s car crash and radical commentary from upper house backbencher Bernie Finn, is causing a fresh distraction for Mr Guy in an election year.
The Andrews government on Thursday moved a motion noting the facts alleged in The Age’s initial report, condemning the behaviour and calling on Mr Davis to apologise in the Parliament.
Ms D’Ambrosio, who has been in Parliament with Mr Davis for two decades, said there were “many accounts” of his behaviour on Saturday night, which she said caused offence to members of the multicultural community gathered for the Victorian Multicultural Commission gala.
Mr Guy said he did not see Mr Davis acting inappropriately at Saturday’s event because he was mingling with guests. He said he first heard of Mr Davis’ behaviour on Wednesday, though several of Mr Guy’s colleagues told The Age that Mr Davis’ actions were being widely discussed in the party room all week at Parliament.
Government leader in the lower house, Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, said it was “astonishing” Mr Davis was not being punished by his party.
“He was pretty quick off the mark to take action against Tim Smith, he was very quick off the mark to call him in and indeed take away Tim Smith’s political career,” she said.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
Most Viewed in Politics
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
