A female MP was forced to leave the chamber in tears by Anthony Albanese after he made fun of Peter Dutton’s geographic error during her question.
During a heated debate in Question Time, Michelle Landry, the Liberal MP for Capricornia in regional Queensland, accused the prime minister of bullying her.
She criticized Mr. Albanese for his actions in a news conference minutes later, when she was joined by Sussan Ley, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, and nine other female Coalition MPs.
The incident started on Thursday during Question Time when Ms. Landry stood up to say that the prime minister had broken a pledge.
She said that the Budget moved back by at least two years the Commonwealth’s financing of $800 million for building the Rockhampton Ring Road.
In his response, Mr. Albanese brought up the topic of financing the Bruce Highway’s route through the Yeppen Floodplain, south of Rockhampton.
The town of Yeppoon, located more than 50 kilometers away on the shore, was brought up by Mr. Dutton, a Queensland native as well.
The opposition leader was made fun of by the PM for not knowing his own state well enough by this geographic inaccuracy.
Yeppoon is a unique location! And because Yeppoon is on the coast to the north of Rockhampton and Rockhampton is to the south, you may want to consult the Member for Capricornia, he screamed.
Yeppen Floodplain is to the south; it’s where the Bruce Highway enters Rockhampton from the south.
The Labor Party benches cheered enthusiastically when Mr. Albanese twice raised his fist at Mr. Dutton while yelling “Queenslander!”
It all says it, he said dismissively.
The prime minister then gave a brief history of the road project before yelling angrily at the opposition for failing to implement it while they were in power.
He promised, “We will complete this project, just as we completed the Yeppen Floodplain and, incidentally, just as we completed the roads to Yeppoon.”
The PM’s theatrical show was met with raucous applause, applauding, and table-banging from the Labor benches, who were becoming more unruly.
At the same moment, Mr. Albanese waved his hands dismissively in the direction of the uproariously rising Coalition benches.
Up until Sussan Ley, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, raised a point of order at the conclusion of Question Time, the incident seemed to be some amusing parliamentary theater at Mr. Dutton’s expense.
Ms. Ley expressed displeasure with Mr. Albanese’s “tone” during his shrill response and said that Ms. Landry had left the chamber in tears and was “distressed” as a result.
When Speaker Milton Dick was asked to comment on it, he said that he would watch the video and get back to her.
Following Question Time, Ms. Landry, Ms. Ley, and a number of other female Coalition MPs addressed the media and accused Mr. Albanese of bullying her.