If you know one thing about Senator Penny Wong, it’s that the woman is quick on her feet.
In the latest instalment of ‘Penny Wong puts people in their place’, the senator slammed Liberal National Senator Ian Macdonald after he repeatedly interrupted her during Parliament.
Look, we’re as shocked as you are that a male felt the need to constantly interrupt a female colleague, but it’s well-known that Mr Macdonald incessantly interjects whenever Ms Wong speaks, especially during Senate Estimate hearings.
But this time, Ms Wong wasn’t having any of it and she cracked it in the only way she knows how – calmly and with a lot of sass.
“Thank you Mr President, the Senator Macdonald really does have an unhealthy obsession with me,” Wong said.
“But I digress.”
Because Macdonald just doesn’t know when to quit, he muttered something the camera didn’t quite catch.
Word on the street is that he said, “Don’t flatter yourself”, to which Ms Wong shot back:
Such a quintessentially Australian use of mate in which she most certainly does not mean mate.
The ‘senatrice’ has since gone viral, with this French tweet showing how exasperated everyone in the room is with Senator MacDonald.
Senator Doug Cameron summed up the exchange pretty well.
“Robust exchanges are okay in this place, but there’s a contempt from Senator Macdonald for female senators on this side of the chamber,” he said.
We don’t know if Penny Wong needs a slogan ~~when~~ if she runs for Prime Minister, but we’re pitching “Penny Wong can do no wrong”.
All I’m saying is Rudd owes his career to ‘Kevin ’07’…