1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,080
Speaker 1: Well, as you have heard this morning, we know that

2
00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,920
Speaker 1: reports emerged over the weekend of an incident which allegedly

3
00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:11,000
Speaker 1: saw Senator Sam McMahon throw several punches towards National's Federal

4
00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,400
Speaker 1: Director Jonathan Hawks. Now joining me on the line is

5
00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,480
Speaker 1: the journalist who broke this story over the weekend, Andrea

6
00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,000
Speaker 1: Cruthers from Sky News. Good morning to you. Andrea.

7
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:22,080
Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.

8
00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:26,119
Speaker 1: Andrea, tell us what you know and exactly what was

9
00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:27,280
Speaker 1: reported on the weekend.

10
00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,040
Speaker 2: Well, Katie, didn't Parliament just go out with a bit

11
00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,640
Speaker 2: of a bang after a wild couple of weeks. So

12
00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:37,400
Speaker 2: effectively Parliament it wrapped up for the year on Thursday,

13
00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,199
Speaker 2: all the sitting days, and then the Nationals Party had

14
00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:42,680
Speaker 2: their big Christmas function that night. So just a few

15
00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,720
Speaker 2: hours after Parliament wrapped, you've got senators there, MP's staffers,

16
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,680
Speaker 2: everyone there having a bit of a drink together when suddenly,

17
00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,760
Speaker 2: I'm told that Sena McMahon was being ejected from the event,

18
00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,960
Speaker 2: walked out to a taxi and suddenly she just allegedly

19
00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,280
Speaker 2: throwing a few punches in the direction of Jonathan Hall. So,

20
00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,880
Speaker 2: as you said, is the National's Federal director. Now I'm

21
00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:06,880
Speaker 2: told none of those actually made contact, so Nolan was

22
00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,760
Speaker 2: actually hurt that he's not picking up the phone. She

23
00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,920
Speaker 2: also isn't responding to any inquiries that the Deputy Prime

24
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,160
Speaker 2: Minister of Varnami Joyce, he has had a little bit

25
00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,680
Speaker 2: to say on this. He's overseas at the moment, but

26
00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:20,320
Speaker 2: his office they's since responded saying that look, he was

27
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,920
Speaker 2: advised at this incident. A contrite apology has been given

28
00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,960
Speaker 2: and accepted apparently, and then both parties are so that

29
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,559
Speaker 2: they bought this to be the end of the issue,

30
00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:30,880
Speaker 2: so they're saying it out of respect from them, they'll

31
00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:33,280
Speaker 2: be adhered to the office. So they're clearly quite keen

32
00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:34,560
Speaker 2: to sort of move on from this.

33
00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,000
Speaker 1: I guess, oh, no doubt they are. But Andrew, it

34
00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,679
Speaker 1: just makes you sort of ask the question, should our

35
00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,319
Speaker 1: politicians behaving be behaving in this way? You know what

36
00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:44,720
Speaker 1: there are at their Christmas do.

37
00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,840
Speaker 2: Look, I think everyone doesn't like it when I guess

38
00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,639
Speaker 2: people do perhaps some bad behavior out of Christmas function,

39
00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:53,760
Speaker 2: but I think it does certainly put a bit more

40
00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,240
Speaker 2: of the spotlight again on the sort of behavior that

41
00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,480
Speaker 2: is occurring in camera, in the in and around Parliament House.

42
00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,919
Speaker 2: Because bear in mind this came just two days after

43
00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,200
Speaker 2: Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins released his bombshell reports that

44
00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:09,480
Speaker 2: looked at the sort of behavior and the culture that

45
00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,200
Speaker 2: was occurring around Canberra, also particularly around the use of

46
00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,200
Speaker 2: alcohol and what role that may has played in that.

47
00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:16,200
Speaker 2: I mean, one of the recommendations out of that with

48
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,959
Speaker 2: particularly asking that alcohol being restricted in and around camera

49
00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,320
Speaker 2: when it comes to these sorts of things. So it

50
00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,560
Speaker 2: wasn't a really good look for them, something which I

51
00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,240
Speaker 2: guess they're going to want to move on from. But

52
00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,840
Speaker 2: interestingly we did also see when Barnaby Joyce put out

53
00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,680
Speaker 2: this statement, yeah, a spokesperson from his office, he didn't

54
00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,960
Speaker 2: actually condemn the actions of it, and we know that

55
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,919
Speaker 2: he and Sam mcmahona allies. She helped topple Michael McCormack

56
00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,160
Speaker 2: to get him back in, but he didn't actually condemn that.

57
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:43,560
Speaker 2: And again while one was hurt. It did just come

58
00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,600
Speaker 2: this days after there was the spotlight once again put

59
00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:48,560
Speaker 2: on the behavior occurring in around camera.

60
00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, and unfortunately not the first time that Senator McMahon

61
00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,120
Speaker 1: has had the spotlight on her as well with allegations

62
00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:57,760
Speaker 1: involving alcohol.

63
00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:01,639
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, it was just sat in June that

64
00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,680
Speaker 2: she was being accused of being drunk in the Senate

65
00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:06,280
Speaker 2: because you can actually see the vision when they're on

66
00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,280
Speaker 2: the floor. It's quite late at night, they're sitting there,

67
00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,440
Speaker 2: and she was actually getting walked out by Senator Bridget McKenzie,

68
00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,160
Speaker 2: one of the other National senators, and at the time

69
00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,639
Speaker 2: a spokesperson for Miss mart said that she'd hadn't been drinking,

70
00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,240
Speaker 2: she was simply feeling ill. They accused it of trying

71
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,800
Speaker 2: to defend it by saying it's basically someone slandering her

72
00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,480
Speaker 2: ahead of that pre selection battle which was just days later,

73
00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,280
Speaker 2: which she of course ended up losing.

74
00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:33,160
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's you know, it's certainly an interesting story and

75
00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,720
Speaker 1: certainly a very interesting situation. But as you pointed out there,

76
00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,720
Speaker 1: you know, alcohol and that report which was just released

77
00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,480
Speaker 1: late last week, and you know, I do think that

78
00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,800
Speaker 1: people expect sort of better behavior from our politicians right

79
00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,160
Speaker 1: across the board when it comes to the use of

80
00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,080
Speaker 1: the drinking of alcohol.

81
00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,440
Speaker 2: I guess, yeah, they certainly do. There's been a lot

82
00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,120
Speaker 2: of conversations about this because there's been other incidents, whether

83
00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,920
Speaker 2: it's involving Green senators, Liberal senators, which within those couple

84
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:02,720
Speaker 2: of days as well in the last week, and there

85
00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:04,600
Speaker 2: has been a lot of discussion around that. Interestingly, the

86
00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,560
Speaker 2: pro Minisy yesterday he wasn't asking anything about it. Today.

87
00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,280
Speaker 2: He held another press conference just a brief stare up

88
00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,000
Speaker 2: a short time ago, and he hasn't really sort of

89
00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,200
Speaker 2: said much of it as well. So whilst they all

90
00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,279
Speaker 2: know this is going on and at times potentially part

91
00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,359
Speaker 2: of it themselves, I guess there's still that sort of

92
00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,719
Speaker 2: not to eat, you know, there's quineteen, that reluctance to

93
00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:29,119
Speaker 2: sort of get involved in calling this sort of action out. Yeah.

94
00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,200
Speaker 1: Well, and like you pointed out just a couple of

95
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,600
Speaker 1: moments ago, we know that she's not been pre selected.

96
00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,840
Speaker 1: Senator Sam McMahon has not been pre selected to run

97
00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,720
Speaker 1: at the next selection, just Enterprice has won that pre

98
00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,880
Speaker 1: selection within the COLP. So I guess they're probably all

99
00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:45,920
Speaker 1: just hoping that if they go to ground now the

100
00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:47,320
Speaker 1: issue will move away.

101
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:50,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. And there has been sort of lost the

102
00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,680
Speaker 2: questions about exactly what caused this particular bisk on Thursday night.

103
00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,080
Speaker 2: Some people have said speculated, look, it could be to

104
00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:59,800
Speaker 2: do the pre selection is also quite so it's not

105
00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,480
Speaker 2: lot of love lost between you know, miss mc mahon

106
00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,080
Speaker 2: and some of her colleagues there is also concerned about

107
00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,880
Speaker 2: particularly mister Hooks and a lot of them that started

108
00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,200
Speaker 2: exactly happy that he doesn't necessarily have a traditional national

109
00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,200
Speaker 2: background there. But all it actually really kept up a

110
00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:18,160
Speaker 2: fairly think fortnite to Senator semcmind because she did get

111
00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:19,920
Speaker 2: in the headlines a few times throughout the week. The

112
00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,599
Speaker 2: other things, she crossed the floor with some rebel senators

113
00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,120
Speaker 2: from the Coalition backing a one nation push to try

114
00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,200
Speaker 2: and ban back seeing mandate to the States. It's actually

115
00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,720
Speaker 2: unclear if they would even have the powers to do that,

116
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:35,520
Speaker 2: and they certainly didn't have to support to get that

117
00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,520
Speaker 2: through Parliament. But she was certainly popping a head up

118
00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:39,920
Speaker 2: about a few things here that probably not the way

119
00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,679
Speaker 2: she would have liked to potentially end her career in Parliament,

120
00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,480
Speaker 2: given we could potentially have an election as early as

121
00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,440
Speaker 2: much yeah, meaning that they may not even get back

122
00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:50,400
Speaker 2: really for a sitting week.

123
00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,480
Speaker 1: Well, it is always interesting, Andrea, and this one over

124
00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,520
Speaker 1: the weekend was certainly a very interesting story. Great to

125
00:05:57,520 --> 00:05:59,720
Speaker 1: speak with you this morning. I really appreciate your time.

126
00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:01,880
Speaker 2: Thank Katty, thank you