NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley has labelled Opposition Leader Mark Speakman a “sexist man” after he described her as “hysterical” on the same day he slammed a Victorian Liberal elder for claiming women in the party were “sufficiently assertive”.
In question time on Thursday, Catley seized on the comments made by Speakman at a press conference a day earlier, in which he described her has being “out of her depth” and giving “hysterical” answers in parliament.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley answers a question in the NSW Legislative Assembly this week.Credit: News Corp Australia
“Yesterday the leader of the opposition got up after question time and called me hysterical, not once, but twice,” Catley said.
“If a man came in here with a strong view about you deliberately bagging the cops and trying to deliberately confuse the public about who is responsible for cracking down on illicit tobacco, would you have used that language? No. It’s a sexist word used by a sexist man.”
The remarks were part of Speakman’s opening statement at a press conference after Wednesday’s question time, as the debate over who should take responsibility for a ballooning tobacco black market continued.
“I asked a very simple question in question time whether a task force was going to be expanded to cover illegal tobacco,” Speakman said at the press conference.
NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman made the comments after question time on Wednesday.Credit: Kate Geraghty
“I got no answer from the police minister, but instead a hysterical response. This minister is clearly out of her depth, you ask a simple question, you just get a hysterical, screaming answer that never engages.”
Later that day, the opposition leader took aim at former Victorian treasurer Alan Stockdale for his controversial claim that reverse quotas for men could be needed in the Liberal Party.
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