Michelle Landry, the Coalition MP for Capricornia, has accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of bullying her during question time, claiming she left the chamber distressed and humiliated. The accusation follows an exchange in which Albanese answered her question about a road project funding guarantee, with the prime minister raising his voice and pointing, according to Landry and other Coalition MPs.
Speaker of the House Milton Dick reviewed footage of the incident and said he did not find Albanese disrespectful to Landry, noting the prime minister was responding to interjections from opposition leader Peter Dutton. Labor sources pointed out that Landry was seen laughing during parts of Albanese’s answer.
Landry said Albanese called her after question time and explained his comments were directed at Dutton, not her. However, she said she felt humiliated and described the prime minister as yelling and screaming at her. Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley criticised the government, saying the new parliament was not living up to its pledge of a gentler tone.
Landry stated, “Our female MPs and senators are treated like absolute garbage all the time by the left and we’ve had enough.” She added that she has two daughters and must stand up against bullying. The Speaker’s statement confirmed he found no case to answer, but Coalition MPs continued to demand an apology from Albanese in parliament.
