Extract from ABC News
By political reporter Stephanie
Anderson
Updated about 2 hours ago
Acting Federal Opposition Leader Penny Wong has
called on the Prime Minister to explain the actions of a senior
Cabinet minister who mistakenly sent an offensive text message to a
journalist.
Key points:
- Dutton called journalist a "mad f***ing witch" in text intended for Briggs
- Wong says Turnbull needs to justify Dutton's Cabinet position
- Journalist Samantha Maiden says she wasn't offended by remark
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton called The
Sunday Telegraph's political editor Samantha Maiden a "mad
f***ing witch" in a text message sent on Sunday.
It was allegedly meant for former minister Jamie
Briggs, but was instead sent to Maiden herself.
Senator Wong described the incident as a test for
Mr Turnbull and his leadership.
She stopped short of calling for Mr Dutton's
resignation over the "boorish" text, instead saying Mr
Turnbull needed to justify Mr Dutton's position as a Cabinet
minister.
"He needs to explain to people why it is that
Mr Dutton's behaviour and this sort of language is consistent with
the standards that are expected of ministers," she said.
"Any woman knows what's meant by those
words."
Mr Turnbull's office declined to comment on the
incident, which follows the resignation of Mr
Briggs after a late-night incident involving a female public servant
in a Hong Kong bar during an official overseas visit last month.
He has since come under further fire for sharing
an image of the staffer in question, which was later leaked to
the media.
Senator Wong said Mr Briggs' resignation was
appropriate, but questions remained over whether Mr Dutton's
behaviour was consistent with ministerial standards.
"Malcolm Turnbull has spoken a lot about how
he's different to Tony Abbott," she said.
"He's spoken appropriately about the
importance of respecting women. He's spoken about the importance of
stronger ministerial standards. He's got an opportunity today to
explain to Australians how the behaviour of this Minister, who he
picked, is consistent with the values that he's been articulating."
'I'm expecting a tough time in her next column': Dutton
On witches, sexism, and Peter Dutton
Mr Dutton earlier confirmed he sent the text and
said he apologised
immediately for the mistake.
"Sam and I have exchanged some robust
language over the years, so we had a laugh after this and I
apologised to her straight away which she took in good faith,"
he said in a statement.
"I'm expecting a tough time in her next
column!"
This morning Maiden said Mr Dutton should not be
stripped of his ministry over the mistake.
She told the ABC she was not offended by the
message, which she declined to label sexist.
"Certainly, he did call me a mad witch, that
much is true," she said.
"I was more than happy to accept Peter
Dutton's apology. As soon as he sent me that text saying 'Mate, she's
a bit of a mad witch' I sent him a text saying 'Mate, you've sent the
text to the mad witch'.
"Bit of a rookie error."
Federal Cabinet Minister Simon Birmingham
described the incident as "unfortunate".
But Mr Birmingham noted Mr Dutton's quick action,
telling the ABC he prevented a potential "witch hunt" over
the text.
"Peter obviously recognised that [it was
unfortunate] and immediately contacted the journalist to apologise,
taking that matter into his own hands, and of course, has come out
and acknowledged that it was him," he said.
But fellow Labor senator Sam Dastyari described Mr
Dutton's actions as "foolish and ridiculous".
Senator Dastyari told the ABC the Immigration
Minister was a repeat offender in terms of using inappropriate
language.
"This is also the same minister who doesn't
realise that a boom mic's on; maybe we shouldn't expect any more from
him," he said.
Senator Dastyari was referring to an incident last
year where Mr Dutton was overheard by a television microphone making
a quip about the plight of Pacific Island nations facing rising seas
from climate change.
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