Agnes Prest from the Whistleblowers Activists and Citizens Alliance took to the stage during Malcolm Turnbull’s Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) speech in Melbourne on Tuesday and called for the closure of Australia's offshore detention centres.
The woman faced the audience and held up a sign, reading: “FFS. Close the bloody camps.”
Mr Turnbull halted his speech, the first major budget policy speech since July's election, before recommencing without addressing the woman's message.
A couple of minutes later she was escorted by security from the stage and out of the conference.
The woman was one of a number of protesters speaking out against Australia's offshore processing policy at the luncheon. They were also escorted from the ballroom chanting “Malcolm Turnbull, shame on you. Close Manus, close Nauru”.
Mr Turnbull used his address to put pressure on the opposition to support $6 billion in government savings it had committed to during the election.
He also painted a bleak picture of the global economy, saying it's more fragile than at any other time since the 2007 global financial crisis.
His economic policy would focus on among others, innovation, technology and productivity, he added.
