The Queensland LNP has been criticised for two separate sexist emails it has released during the election campaign that is currently underway and the premier Campbell Newman won’t apologise for either of them.
In the first instance, federal MP George Christensen posted a cartoon on his Facebook page depicting Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk naked on a wrecking ball. The cartoon features the words “with apologies to Miley Cyrus” as it references the controversial 2013 video clip Wrecking Ball. In the cartoon, Palaszczuk is crashing through a wall representing jobs at the Abbot Point Coal Terminal, with Greens leader Christine Milne cheering in the background.
The premier said the cartoon had nothing to do with him and did not comment on its crude nature.
He then openly defended a sexist campaign slogan circulated this week to LNP supporters. The email featured a black and white image of Palaszczuk with the words “don’t wake up with regrets” superimposed over the top of it. The slogan is taken from an old anti-binge drinking ad that showed a couple waking up together the morning after a night out. The well-known original use of the slogan means the LNP’s new version of it has been widely assumed to invoke the same inappropriate sexual connotations in regards to Palaszcsuk.
But Newman defended the slogan and denied the email had any explicit connations, saying: “I don’t see, I don’t quite see. I don’t quite see how that compares to anything you’ve seen on previous campaigns.”
Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters said both incidents were unacceptable and point to a broader misogynistic culture within the LNP.
“It’s appalling that George Christensen firstly published this derogatory cartoon and then failed to apologise, instead suggesting it should be laughed off,” she said.
“Campbell Newman’s defence of the LNP’s “don’t wake up with regrets” slogan shows complete disrespect for women, especially women in politics. Sexism and archaic views on gender are not laughing matters – they’re alarming insights into the views held by members of the LNP.”
A spokesperson for Palaszcsuk echoed this sentiment, saying the cartoon reflects the low standards exhibited by the LNP during the campaign.
Senator Waters also criticised the LNP on its broader approach to gender issues, saying the party has excluded issueslike domestic violence and the gender pay gap from its election campaign.
“While Australia celebrates the strength and courage of Rosie Batty, the major parties in Queensland have ignored domestic violence during this election campaign,” she said.