Rebecca White has defended her decision to travel to the United States to support unsuccessful Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris.
The former Tasmanian Labor leader had been volunteering for Harris’ campaign during her trip, a move that has drawn criticism from some quarters.
In a lengthy post on social media, White said she was “not surprised” by the level of interest.
“The outcome of this election will shape the future, including in our home state. It will either give permission for hate or it will stand up against it and declare we will protect freedom and decency,” she wrote.
“That’s why I’m here. I’d prefer to go to the source and stop the hate from spreading rather than sit back and hope it doesn’t happen.”
White confirmed that “not a single taxpayer dollar” went into funding her trip.
“Not my economy grade flights. Not my accommodation (I’m currently sleeping on an air bed in a spare room thanks to the generosity of friends) and I’m on leave to be here,” she said.
“That’s not to say I’m not still working for you while I’m away from home. I’m sharing information here, my office is still open and staffed with my incredible team and I’m doing emails.”
While in the USA, White said she completed the ‘Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making’ course at Harvard Business School.
Sharing the experience on LinkedIn, White said she has “gained an entirely new range of skills” she can “draw on in the future”.
“I want to sincerely thank the McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership team,” she wrote.
“The opportunity to continue to learn is something I truly value and I would not have been able to do this without their support.”
