Labor wants Michaelia Cash to meet Bill Shorten’s female staffers, look them in the eye and apologise for threatening to expose rumours about them.
Senator Cash erupted during a fiery Senate hearing on Wednesday, with a pointed warning to “name every young woman” in the opposition leader’s office about whom rumours had circulated.
Liberal frontbenchers said Senator Cash was responding to “robust questioning” about her own staff, but deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek demanded a full and personal apology.
“Look them in the eye and say ‘I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to make life harder for you, I slipped up and I’m sorry’,” Ms Plibersek told ABC radio on Thursday.
Ms Plibersek said the outburst undermined the prime minister’s efforts to change the culture of Parliament House.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham said he didn’t see the comments, which came after Labor frontbencher Doug Cameron’s line of questioning about staffing arrangements.
“I know that that was a pretty robust lot of questioning and a lot of things being thrown at her by Labor senators at the time,” Mr Birmingham told Nine News on Thursday.
“She withdrew the remarks, she obviously acknowledged they were inappropriate.”
Under pressure from Labor Senate leader Penny Wong, Senator Cash later withdrew the comments.
“I think the point she was making was keep staff out of it. Stop asking questions about individual staff,” Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar told ABC radio.
But Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said Mr Shorten’s staff were upset at Senator Cash’s comments and they wanted an apology.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott believes an apology is warranted over the “brain snap”.
“It is bad when it comes from the Labor Party, it is bad when it comes from the Liberal Party and it is particularly bad when it comes from a minister of the crown,” he told 2GB.
The heated exchange came as Labor continued to pressure Senator Cash over raids at Australian Workers Union offices last October.
Details of the police raids were leaked to TV network by one of her media advisers, who later quit.