RAYS OF DAIN

I was very offended personally when the Leader of the Opposition, as Minister of Health, said, and I quote, ‘Abortion is the easy way out’. I was very personally offended by those comments. You said that in March 2004, I suggest you check the records,” said Ms Gillard.

“I was also very offended on behalf of the women of Australia when in the course of this carbon (pricing) campaign, the Leader of the Opposition said ‘what the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing…’ Thank you for that painting of women’s roles in modern Australia.

“And then of course, I was offended too by the sexism, by the misogyny of the Leader of the Opposition catcalling across this table at me as I sit here as Prime Minister, ‘If the Prime Minister wants to, politically speaking, make an honest woman of herself…’, something that would never have been said to any man sitting in this chair.

“I was offended when the Leader of the Opposition went outside in the front of Parliament and stood next to a sign that said ‘Ditch the witch’.

“I was offended when the Leader of the Opposition stood next to a sign that described me as a man’s bitch. I was offended by those things. Misogyny, sexism, every day from this Leader of the Opposition.

“Every day in every way, across the time the Leader of the Opposition has sat in that chair and I’ve sat in this chair, that is all we have heard from him.

“And now, the Leader of the Opposition wants to be taken seriously, apparently he’s woken up after this track record and all of these statements, and he’s woken up and he’s gone, ‘Oh dear, there’s this thing called sexism, oh my Lords, there’s this thing called misogyny. Now who’s one of them? Oh, the Speaker must be because that suits my political purpose.’