With two days remaining until polling, ACT Liberal leader Elizabeth Lee found herself in hot water after being caught flashing the middle finger at a journalist after a tense exchange.
She later apologised for the incident.
“I engaged in poor behaviour that was unprofessional, and I apologise,” she said, adding that she has a history with the particular journalist.
“I respect the work that journalists do, including asking the tough questions, and I think that I have demonstrated during this term that I’m willing to step up and answer tough questions.”
The incident occurred on Oct. 16, following the ACT Property Council leaders’ debate ahead of the election.
Tensions escalated during a press conference when RiotACT reporter Ian Bushnell pressed Lee on the costs of her party’s policies.
“So we are in the process of discussing with Treasury about how those offsets will work, and we’re also in the process of discussing with Treasury about the policy that we have taken to Canberrans, and that is to cap rate increases at 2.2 percent in the first time,” Lee initially responded.
When Bushnell questioned her further, asking whether it was too late in the campaign to discuss such details, Lee retorted, “Isn’t it late in the day for [ACT Chief Minister] Andrew Barr to still have not submitted costings for his policies?”
The exchange became more heated as Bushnell pushed for an answer specific to her policies, prompting Lee to snap, “You can’t throw things at the opposition and expect to have no comeback when the fact is, this is a treasurer who’s been in charge of the ACT treasury—are you finished?”
Visibly irritated, Lee interrupted Bushnell, saying, “I will answer the question in my own way, Ian; you don’t get to dictate how I answer the question.”
Following the press conference, footage showed Lee walking off to the side and briefly raising her middle finger at Bushnell as he turned away.
Bushnell had previously reported on Lee’s conduct during the leaders’ debate.
“She sniped, interrupted, talked over, and hurled more than a few insults at the Labor leader, who wasn’t about to take the bait, keeping a laser focus on getting his message across. Lee displayed more range in her performance, from engaging smiles—even an occasional smirk—to indignant finger-pointing to genuine passion. Not too many facts, but that was not the point,” read his article.
During the debate, Lee interrupted Barr on a few occasions, and accused him of being “the worst treasurer that self-government has ever seen.”
She also criticised him for running a “mudslinging fear campaign.”
Lee has campaigned aggressively to end Labor’s 23-year government over the ACT.
MPs Says Politics Can Be Frustrating
In response to Lee’s actions, current leader Barr said he understood Lee’s frustrations.The ACT Liberal Party has had to deal with poor behaviour from candidates with Darren Roberts found to be on social media making racist comments under a pseudonym, and sitting member Elizabeth Kikkert disendorsed over donation disclosures.
“Over the course of a campaign you learn a lot about how individuals respond to immense pressure,” Barr told reporters.
“I can understand that frustration, but equally, that’s part of the role in government. Every week, you have to make difficult decisions, give press conferences where you are likely to get questions that are uncomfortable, where occasionally if the journalist doesn’t feel you’re answering the question, they may have a follow up question, or two or three or four.”
Federal Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles called the Lee’s gesture a “pretty extraordinary contribution to the political discourse.”
“I’ve had my share of frustrations in press conferences. Look, this is a difficult job. It’s obviously important we seek to manage our emotions in that moment,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
