In the latest instalment of “things men do that women could never get away with”, Bob Katter MP, flanked by people dressed up in inflatable pig costumes (yes, you read that correctly), has aggressively confronted Nationals Senator Ross Cadell outside an inquiry in Orange, regional NSW.
The inquiry is investigating Australia’s major supermarkets, Woolworths and Coles, with farmers and farming groups appearing before the Senate Committee today to speak on supermarket pricing and market power.
But the altercation between Katter and Senator Cadell stole the show. As Katter and Independent MP Andrew Gee were holding a media conference announcing a new parliamentary Bill, Senator Cadell accused Gee of being “all about the worth, never about the work”.
“You love the pay check, hate the hard job, and these people here have been suffering under your watch,” Senator Cadell said.
It sparked a strong reaction from Katter, who accused Cadell of “playing politics”. As the pair argued, Katter, finger pointed, approached Cadell in an aggressive manner.
Mad as a Katter – Bob sees red in Orange pic.twitter.com/9ebKu13Wgf
— Andrew Greene (@AndrewBGreene) March 12, 2024
“Don’t keep interrupting me! You hear me? Don’t keep interrupting me!” Katter shouted.
“Every time I’ve opened my mouth, you’ve started talking; now shut up and let me have a go.”
Many will view this episode as a classic Bob Katter moment. Perhaps very few people batted an eyelid at the absurdity of the press conference – pigs and all – let alone the dramatic, aggressive and dare I say emotional altercation between the pair.
Ask any woman if she’s ever been told to “calm down” in a discussion with a man, accused of being “too emotional”, and you’re likely to get a resounding answer: “all the bloody time.”
But women have to do far less than what happened between Katter and Cadell to be accused of being too emotional. A study from the Georgetown University Centre on Education and the Workforce in 2019 found one in eight people doubted the emotional suitability of women in politics.
The scrutiny doesn’t just exist outside of politics. People – both men and women – can hold prejudiced views against women in politics for being overly hysterical. In 2022, a study published found participants were more likely to see women as less legitimate when they are told to “calm down” in an argument. When men were told to “calm down”, views on their credibility were unchanged.
There are tons of examples out there to back up these stats. Dr Anne Aly, Australia’s Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth, was once told she needed to be quiet “to earn the respect of white Australia”.
On his radio show, Alan Jones once said former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard’s father had “died of shame”. The same radio shock jock told his listeners he hoped Scott Morrison would “shove a sock” down the throat of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Most of the time I cringe at men like Katter playing politics so hard it seems they’re vying for an Academy Award.
But I also think politics is inherently emotional. People’s lives, including the lives of the politicians pushing policy through, are at stake. Those in power should be passionate about what they do and what they are fighting for.
All I’m saying is, it’s about time to give women the same opportunity – without the stigma – to be just as dramatic and just as emotional. Because I for one would relish the chance to point my finger at a male Senator and tell him to quit interrupting me.