Why isn't Worth showing some courage?

Richard Worth never offered me a job. Not a sniffle of a vocation prospect. Not a shout out to come swimming. Nor a late-night phone call, or a dirty text message. He wasn't sporting a welcome home banner at the airport from those long MTV parties I attended overseas. Hell, I never even felt his squinty eyes mentally undress me when I saw him at the many, many social functions at which our paths crossed.

Though, I only ever twice saw his wife at those functions: once, at an Australia Day event donning a Nicole Kidman mask; and earlier this year onboard the SkyCity launch for the final of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series Regatta.

Lynne Worth, by all accounts is a deeply private, prudent woman of respectable middle-age. At the events I was at she played more background wife while her husband played schmoozer. I wonder how much of a background role she's playing now. Quite what she makes of the latest shenanigans her husband is embroiled in is uncertain, though, there's no doubt she must be deeply hurt and mortally embarrassed.

Which begs the question: why isn't Worth showing some courage and fronting up to the whole sorry mess? Instead, he did what the Ramsey's did when Jon Benet was murdered: hire PR consultants.

First, there was the sexual allegation made to police by a Korean businesswoman, now a married mother-of-two from the Labour Party has come forward alleging she received unsolicited attention of a sexual nature from Worth.

Yesterday, through his newly appointed Star PR team (the same people who represented Kristen Dunne-Powell in Veitch-gate), Dr Worth released a statement. He may have gone underground but he very clearly is not burrowed in a sound-proof hole.

He maintains: "I am innocent of any crime, and I will defend myself vigorously against any accusations that I have broken the law." "There has been a rush to judgment on the basis of rumour and speculation, which has been damaging to my political career and hurtful for my family and friends."

Hurtful and damaging appears to be the only description everyone can agree on.

Yesterday the married Labour Party complainant was also talking - via a statement tabled in Parliament. She said Worth promised to give her a job "but I would have to leave the Labour Party and join the National Party". She says that Worth's text messages started ending in 'xxx' and she felt uncomfortable with his tone and approach. She says several phone calls made by Worth were "vulgar, sexually explicit, and I believe were made when he was drunk".

In terms of namesakes, will Worth show the courage and bravery of Richard the Lionheart and answer up to the allegations, or will he be more like the gutless Tricky Dicky Nixon before he was impeached and fell from grace?

When The Listener's Bill Ralston spoke with Malcolm Boyle from Star PR after the sorry saga that became Veitch-gate, the spin doctor attributed the key to Dunne-Powell's successful media strategy to sticking to the confidentiality agreement and making no public statements. He told Ralston it made her court evidence and subsequent interviews "all the more powerful".

Can we take it then that Worth's crack team of PR gurus will strongly suggest Dick's mouth stays firmly shut? Or will he follow the sage advice of his leader and come clean about allegations against him? I hope it's the latter before he fades off into the distance, but by all accounts we need to battle down the hatches and rug up warm: Hurricane Worth is set to sweep through and stake its ground, and this isn't storm in a dainty little tea cup.

 

Rachel Glucina

Pictured above: Lynn and Richard Worth. Photo / Olivia Hemus