Liberal National MP Michelle Landry,with her colleagues,accuses Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of bullying:“He screamed and pointed and yelled at me.”

Liberal National MP Michelle Landry,with her colleagues,accuses Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of bullying:“He screamed and pointed and yelled at me.”Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

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Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley drew attention to the concerns by telling parliament Landry had left the House of Representatives in tears because she was distressed by the prime minister’s tone. Albanese phoned Landry to tell her he was aiming his words at Dutton,not her,but Landry told journalists later that she did not accept this version of events.

“I think it was fairly bullying behaviour,the whole episode. So if you think that he’s been there screaming at me,and then all his MPs cheer and clap and point at me – I just think that it’s disgraceful behaviour.”

Ley called on Albanese to go into the House and apologise. Another Nationals MP,Anne Webster,backed Landry’s description of the episode and said the prime minister was yelling at her colleague.

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“As somebody who is sitting very close to Michelle,I know that the prime minister was directing his aggressive comments to her,” Webster said. “And it’s unacceptable. We have all had enough. We want respect in the parliament houses and we wanted to be treated with respect.”

Liberal MP Melissa McIntosh also said she believed Landry was the target for the prime minister’s words. “Labor women,Labor men were cheering on this behaviour – it was absolutely disgusting as Michelle sat there,clearly distressed,” she said.

Fellow Queensland MP Angie Bell also described the prime minister’s behaviour as bullying,something the prime minister’s office denied.

A spokesman for Albanese said the transcript was clear and showed the prime minister was interrupted by the opposition leader while giving an answer and the entire exchange was directed at Dutton.

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Ley stood in parliament after question time to ask the Speaker to review the video. Dick responded later on Thursday to say he “did not see the prime minister show any disrespect to the Member for Capricornia”.

“I can confirm that the prime minister was answering the question from the Member for Capricornia. During the answer,the prime minister was also directly responding to interjections from the leader of the opposition,” the Speaker said.

He said the camera was not on Landry to show her leaving the chamber.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley.Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

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