Australian politician admits sniffing woman's chair

An Australian political leader broke down at a news conference yesterday as he admitted that he had sniffed the chair of a female colleague.

The confession came from the leader of the conservative Liberal Party in Western Australia, Troy Buswell, who has previously owned up to snapping the bra strap of an opposition party staffer.

Buswell told reporters at the news conference in Mandurah south of the state capital of Perth that he would not resign his post, which puts him in line to become state premier if his party wins elections next year.



But tears welled in his eyes and he choked up when asked how his family had reacted to the wide publicity given to the incident since the story became public at the weekend. After a brief break for a drink of water, he replied: "These are difficult issues for me to deal with and they are very difficult issues for my family to deal with."

The woman involved in the incident, a Liberal Party staffer who does not want to be named, said Buswell sniffed the chair she had been sitting on at his Parliament House office in December 2005. The incident took place in front of other staff and was done to get a laugh, she said after Buswell had refused to confirm the initial reports. "I was shocked and outraged and I told him," the woman said.

The deputy leader of the state Liberal Party stood by Buswell, describing him as a "rough diamond with a robust sense of humour".