Member for Warringah, NSW Zali Steggall raises the issue of somebody gesturing with their middle finger in the gallery.
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00:00Member for Warringah has indicated she has a question for me.
00:03Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'd like to raise concern about guests signed in by Members of Parliament
00:08to the gallery. In particular, during a question, the Leader of the Nationals asked the question
00:14to the Prime Minister and indicated that guests from supporting or objecting to the live sheet
00:19lobby were in the gallery and pointed to the gallery here. When they decided to leave,
00:24a gentleman in jeans, black t-shirt, overweight and bald, flipped the bird to...
00:29Just... Just... If the order... Continue on with the question to me, to get to the question to me.
00:44For the benefit of the Speaker, the description is so that that person may be identified from video content
00:50because upon leaving the gallery, flipped the bird finger to the chamber and in doing so,
00:57looked to the Leader of the Nationals for support. Now that is... Again... Just... Are you threatening me?
01:08Leader of the Nationals, are you threatening me? The... Order... Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Nationals
01:16thinks it's appropriate to threaten me. That is not appropriate conduct in this chamber.
01:22Okay. You've asked the question. The Deputy Leader is now... Order! Members on my right. Members on my right.
01:30We're going to... Any member is entitled to ask me a question after question time regarding conduct to the House
01:38and the operations of the House. So everyone just show respect. Now, the Deputy Leader has been waiting
01:45patiently for a point of order. Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I did stand up earlier because I thought
01:49that that was disgraceful, that body-shaming remark by the member for Warringah.
01:54The pejorative description of a member of our public galleries and it should be withdrawn immediately.
02:08The member for Warringah on the point of order, does the member wish to withdraw that descriptor?
02:14No, because I would like the video footage to be identified.
02:19So the identification is the issue there. Look... Order! The member for Braddon, we're just going to deal with this issue.
02:29Because it is a serious issue, what the member has raised. I want to remind all visitors and people who are guests
02:39of members, there are established forms of behaviour. Members in the gallery are not here to participate,
02:48they are here to observe. So I'm asking all members when they sign in guests or offer guests tickets to...
02:59The member for O'Connor, I'm answering a question. And a message to all members of the gallery
03:06not to interject, converse or signal.