Tanya Plibersek has accused the Prime Minister of “mansplaining” after she quizzed him on foreign aid cuts in parliament.
The slang, which caused some confusion in parliament, is used to describe the process of a man explaining something to a woman in a condescending or patronising tone.
The Opposition Foreign Minister asked Malcolm Turnbull whether he would restore funding cut from the foreign aid budget, which was slashed by almost $8 billion in the first Abbott Government budget.
“Can the Prime Minister confirm how much money he will restore to the foreign aid program after the cabinet that he was part of cut the budget by $11.3 billion?” Ms Plibersek asked.
Mr Turnbull responded that “if she wants a serious answer, she should ask a serious question”.
“Ask a substantive question about foreign policy or about foreign aid, ask it of the foreign minister, and you can have an intelligent discussion,” he said.
“But instead we have, with the entire House of Representatives assembled, time being wasted by the honourable member.”
Ms Plibersek raised a point of order, stating that “I would rather have an answer than the mansplaining I am getting.”
Foreign aid escaped further cuts in the Coalition’s most recent budget, but some regions saw their funding cut by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Indo-Pacific region has become the focus of Australia’s foreign aid, accounting for 90 per cent of spending.
However, the largest recipient – Indonesia – has seen its funding cut by more than $219 million to $323 million.
It followed calls from aid organisations for the government to stick to its “moral obligation” to maintain foreign aid, which is due to fall to its lowest levels since records began in 1960.
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