A Labor senator has been rebuked after questioning whether Foreign Minister Julie Bishop would include decorations and flowers at a function because she is female.
Labor backbencher Alex Gallacher was asking Ms Bishop’s department about a pre-Budget function in the minister’s office when he made the quip.
“Now given that the 38th Foreign Minister is probably the only female in the list of Australian foreign ministers were there decorations including flowers?,” he said at the Senate estimates hearing in Canberra.
Assistant Multicultural Minister Zed Seselja jumped on the assertion.
“Why is that relevant?,” he retorted.
“I’m not really sure what the relevance of Senator Gallacher’s question just then, that because it’s a female Foreign Minister we have to know about decorations and flowers.
“Why is that relevant, because she’s a female Foreign Minister?”
A war of words then broke out as Senator Seselja suggested the Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong would be offended by such questioning.
“If a coalition senator had asked that perhaps Senator Wong would be up in arms right now," Senator Seselja said.
A spokeswoman for Ms Bishop issued a statement hitting back at the comments.
“This might come as a shock to Labor Senator Gallacher but Australia’s first female Foreign Minister spends her time focusing on serious issues of Australia’s national security and other important matters of state,” the spokeswoman said.
Senator Gallacher apologised later saying it was not his intention to make such suggestions.
“There was no intention in any way, shape or form to align motives…aligning to the sex or otherwise of the foreign minister,” he said.
“Whether I asked about flowers or not is you know, not a question that was relevant in that way.
“If anybody took offence I sincerely apologise.”
It’s not the first time gender has become a hot topic in a Senate Estimates hearing.
Last year, Labor senator Katy Gallagher raised the ire of coalition minister Mitch Fifield after accusing him of “mansplaining” an answer to her.
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