The Finance Minister, a grown-up human man who is responsible for policy matters like ‘budget’ and ‘accountability’ within the Finance portfolio of our entire country, said of the Opposition Leader of that very same country: “The problem that the Labor Party has today, is that Bill Shorten is an economic girly man.”
The phrase was in regards to Bill Shorten’s “blocking” of the Government’s 2014 Budget and he replied saying that, rather than “borrowing lines from Republican Tea Party conventions to joke about hurting vulnerable Australians”, he needs to “face up to his unfair budget”.
Shorten continued: “It’s obvious why Abbott government ministers are more interested in sexist name-calling than defending their unfair budget. This is the same bloke that was celebrating with a cigar in his mouth days before announcing cuts to pensions, family payments and universities. Trying to trivialise the hurt and concern this budget is causing in the community, especially amongst women, is a disgrace. If the government found room in their cabinet for more than one woman, perhaps this budget wouldn’t be such an unmitigated disaster.”
Cormann then went on to explain to The Sunday Telegraph: “I am not talking about girls. I am talking about economic girlie men. I don’t think there’s anything gender specific here. Not girls, girlies, it’s very different. I hope you are not going to say I am a sexist misogynist.’’
But that’s exactly what people have said ¯_(“~)_/¯
Senator Larissa Waters, Greens spokeswoman for women, said: “The 1950s called and they want their government back.”
Senator Penny Wong said: “If we use girl as an insult what are we telling our sons and our daughters about being a girl? You’re saying it’s somehow less confident, weak, whatever the imputation. I just don’t think that’s sensible. Imagine if we used any racial term in the way it was used. I think we would all be outraged for the same reasons… I don’t think using ‘girlie’ as an insult is the sort of thing a cabinet minister or serious political leader should be saying.”
Tanya Plibersek, Deputy Labor leader, said: “I think it is extraordinary that we have a PM who talks about shirtfronting the leader of [another] nation and we now have a Finance Minister who thinks he is Arnold Schwarzenegger. What Mathias Cormann is missing is that this budget hurts vulnerable Australians.”
As for the “ATT: Finance Minister” portion of this evening, as much as Comann may think calling someone ‘girlie’ is an insult, it isn’t, because girls have ‘what it takes’ and if anyone has Mathias Cormann on LinkedIn please chuck him the link for this video:
Cheers.
