A verbal spat erupted in the Australian Senate on Monday, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong directly confronting Liberal deputy leader Jane Hume after being called a "mean girl." The exchange occurred during a debate over a censure motion targeting Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
Opposition Senate leader Michaelia Cash had moved to suspend standing orders to debate the censure motion against Chalmers for his handling of capital gains and negative gearing tax changes. As Wong responded, Hume interjected from the Coalition benches, "You're a mean girl." Wong then gestured at Hume and demanded the remark be withdrawn.
The term "mean girls" carries historical weight in Australian politics, having been used by the late Senator Kimberley Kitching to describe Wong, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, and former senator Kristina Keneally. The label sparked controversy and led to a statement from the three Labor figures refuting allegations of bullying.
In the Monday debate, Wong dismissed the censure motion as political theatre. "This motion is deceitful. It hides their true position: they oppose tax cuts," she stated. Wong then seized on a verbal slip by Hume during an earlier Sky News appearance. Hume had mistakenly said the Greens had "waved through all of Labor's legislation, their egregious tax cuts," intending to say "tax hikes."
Wong, referencing Hume's gaffe, said in the Senate, "Senator Hume called them 'egregious'. Tax cuts for working people are 'egregious'." Wong then referred to Hume as "the senator for higher taxes," which prompted Hume's "mean girl" retort.
Following the Senate exchange, Hume responded to reporters, accusing Wong of focusing on a minor error to distract from other issues. "On a day when Penny Wong's former employer, the CFMEU, is back in the spotlight over serious corruption allegations, it's no wonder she's looking to deflect," Hume said. "Labor must be pretty desperate if an obvious slip of the tongue is the best they've got. The fact remains this Government is imposing egregious tax hikes on Australians because they can't manage their Budget."
There has been no suggestion of wrongdoing by Penny Wong, who has served in the Senate since 2001 and previously worked for the CFMEU in the early 1990s.