The Prime Minister has garnered several nominations for the annual awards, described as a “fun but deadly attack on Australian male sexism”.
Launched in 1993, the awards have featured numerous high ranking politicians – such as John Howard, Barry O’Farrell and Bill Heffernan – and this year looks to be no different.
Mr Abbott has joined the likes of Christopher Pyne, Scott Morrison and Tony Burke for the Political Silver Ernie shortlist.
He scored three nominations for his actions as prime minister, including his failure to issue a women’s budget statement and managing to lose “the lady members of the delegation” during a trade trip to Asia in April.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is also back in the news, scoring a nomination for reportedly referring to Kristina Keneally as “Bambi”.
'I have never been someone who labels herself in terms of feminism'
Christopher Pyne made the list after for claiming that the rise in HECS won’t disproportionately affect women because “they will not be able to earn the high incomes that say dentists or lawyers will earn”, while Eric Abetz’s support for claims linking abortion and breast cancer also scored him a gong.
Across the political aisle, Tony Burke is among the shortlisted for comparing Speaker Bronwyn Bishop to witch Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter.
The full list of Political Silver Ernies nominees can be found below.
Mr Abbott’s Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Women, Senator Michaela Cash, also made the shortlist.
The Western Australian Senator was nominated for the Elaine Award, awarded for remarks by women “least helpful to the sisterhood”, after stating that “I have never been someone who labels herself in terms of feminism… That movement was a set of ideologies from many, many decades ago now”.
However it was the colourful Member for Fairfax, Clive Palmer, who took out the most nominations.
'I had to get to Parliament to get rid of that woman'
The mining billionaire and self-declared national treasure scored three nominations for the Political Silver Ernie, most prominently for his comments on Mr Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin.
He was also nominated for continually calling female journalists “my dear”, as well as this explanation of why he went into politics: “I couldn’t throttle her (Gillard), so I had to get to Parliament to get rid of that woman”.
The Palmer United Party MP also scored a nomination for the lone positive award – the Good Ernie – for comments made in his maiden speech.
“Chairman Mao once said that women hold up half the sky,” he said.,
“Women received the vote in 1902 but prejudice still remains… In Parliament, in Cabinet, we need more women.”
The winners of the Annual Ernie Awards – named after former secretary of the AWU Ernie Ecob known for his comment that women only wanted to be shearers for the sex – will be announced on Wednesday.
Political Silver Ernies shortlist
- Eddie Obeid
- Scott Morrison
- Mark Latham
- John Howard
- Christopher Pyne
- Clive Palmer
- Kevin Andrews
- Senator Joe Bullock
- Peter Dutton
- Tony Burke
- Tony Abbott
- Barnaby Joyce
- Andrew Laming
- John Williams
- Senator Cory Bernardi
- George Christensen
- Mathias Cormann
- Alex Douglas
- Senator Eric Abetz
- Geoff Shaw
- Chris Spence
- Bernie Finn
- Melbourne University Liberal Club
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