Row over Australian MPs’ ‘disgusting’ festival game draws scrutiny of conduct
The three Labor MPs were overheard playing the game about male politicians at a festival, triggering a complaint
The incident involved federal Assistant Minister Rebecca White and Tasmanian state MPs Ella Haddad and Sarah Lovell, who were attending Hobart’s Taste of Summer – a food and music festival held annually on the city’s waterfront during the holiday season.
According to a written complaint seen by the ABC, the three were seated at the event on December 30 when the conversation took place, with the complainant, a Liberal Party member, alleging they were playing the crude parlour game to rank male Liberal MPs using language described as “truly disgusting” and loud enough for nearby patrons to hear.
The complaint was lodged on January 5, and all three politicians sent personal written apologies to the complainant later that day, acknowledging offence but disputing the way the exchange had been characterised.
Tasmania’s Labor leader Josh Willie also contacted the complainant to apologise but declined to discuss the details publicly, describing the incident as an overheard private conversation and saying the apologies had been accepted during a press conference on Sunday.
The matter has since become a political flashpoint, with the state’s Liberal government seizing on the incident to call for further scrutiny.