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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says an outgoing Greens MP should reflect on their own behaviour following his criticism of the Labor Party.
“Maybe what he needs is a mirror and a reflection on why he’s no longer in parliament,” Albanese told 7:30 on Wednesday night.
“This is a guy who stood before signs at a CFMEU rally in Brisbane describing me as a Nazi.”
Chandler-Mather spoke to Triple J’s Hack program earlier this week
These signs were displayed at a CFMEU rally in Brisbane in August last year, where Max Chandler-Mather spoke. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
‘Hostile’ major parties
In the interview, Chandler-Mather — was one of four Greens MPs elected to the lower house at the 2022 federal election — described Labor and the Coalition as “very hostile”.
“I’ll be honest — one of the things I’m quite happy about at the moment is I don’t have to spend more time in the House of Representatives. Because basically every time I stood up, I got screamed and yelled at,” he said.
“In terms of a workplace, it was bloody awful, and frankly a lot of the time, miserable.”
‘Bit rich of him’
Albanese responded to the criticism, saying Chandler-Mathers’ conduct during parliament question time was “pretty offensive”.
“I think he should have a look at the way he conducted himself in question time … including the questions he asked of me, which I found pretty offensive. Some of which were ruled out of order,” he said.
“So I think it’s a bit rich for him of all people who has been rejected by his own electorate after just one term.”
Albanese also reflected on the Greens’ performance in the election, noting leader Adam Bandt could lose his seat.
“The seat of Melbourne is very much under a cloud,” he said.
The Greens, who campaigned heavily on housing and the war in Gaza, have faced criticism from some quarters for straying from their core principles of advocating for action on climate change and environmental protections.
The party has conceded the seats of Griffith and Brisbane, with their two other held electorates — Melbourne, and Ryan in Queensland — yet to be called at time of publication.
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