Brough speaks about offensive menu, says he never saw it

Updated June 13, 2013 13:40:00

The LNP candidate for Fisher Mal Brough says he never saw a mocked up menu, which had offensive descriptions about the Prime Minister. Mr Brough says the truth has now been revealed about the matter, saying the restaurateur has admitted to making the menu, but that it was never publicly distributed in his restaurant. The government says it does not believe the cafe owner or Mr Brough.

Source: The World Today | Duration: 5min 24sec

Topics: women, australia


ELEANOR HALL: Now to the latest on the offensive menu connected to a Liberal Party fundraiser.

The LNP candidate Mal Brough now says he did not see the menu at the fundraiser held for him in March this year, which contained offensive descriptions about the Prime Minister.

The revelations prompted the Prime Minister to call yesterday for Coalition leader Tony Abbott to disendorse Mr Brough.

Mr Brough did apologise for the menu yesterday, but says now says that he didn't see it.

The restaurateur says it was never publicly distributed at the event

With the latest, chief political correspondent Sabra Lane.

SABRA LANE: David Carter, a chef who used to work at the R & R cafe, has friends who still work there, and he tweeted a photo of a menu created by the cafe's owner Joe Richards.

Mr Carter says Mr Richards has made special menus for customers in the past.

DAVID CARTER: I don't know, I haven't really ever read any of the previous menus, but in the past he used to normally hold these events with members of the Labor Party, not the LNP.

SABRA LANE: Mr Carter didn't work on the night of the LNP function; the ABC's tried talking with Mr Richards this morning without success.

The World Today's Stephanie Smail spoke with some customers this morning.

VOX POP: I thought it was funny and it was Australian larrikinism. I think Gillard is a bigot and she's hypocritical. She linked Tony Abbott to abortion because he is a Catholic and abortion is a state issue.

It's not within Tony Abbott's realms to act.

She knows that, she's got a legal background.

VOX POP 2: I think they're in politics and that's what they do, so I think Tony Abbott would have a bit of a laugh at someone paying him out as well.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: You don't think it's sexist at all?

VOX POP 3: I'm pretty sure that she's called him a pig in the past, so.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: So you think they're as bad as each other?

VOX POP 4: Yeah, absolutely.

VOX POP 5: Look, regardless of the bad manners and offensive conduct, I think it was worse conduct for the Prime Minister to manufacture this whole hullabaloo, when in fact there are so many more important things to be discussed as a country.

I think the Prime Minister has absolutely disparaged and diminished the office of the prime minister by carrying on the way she does, and I helped vote her into office and I will help vote her out of office.

SABRA LANE: Mr Richards sent an email to Mal Brough last night, confirming he'd mocked up the offensive menu, meant as a light-hearted joke between him and his son.

Mr Richards says the menus weren't in the restaurant on the night in question and were never meant for public distribution and that it's unfortunate it was posted on Facebook, and caused Mr Brough embarrassment.

Mr Richards has donated to the LNP in the past, the party says it's not in a position to say how much money. He's also given $1,600 to the ALP.

Mal Brough.

MAL BROUGH: Look, I have an important job to do, I'm going to continue to do it, I'm going to continue to remain focused on what I think is important.

And I'll leave it in the hands of the people of Fisher to decide whether or not I have actually met up to the standards that they demand.

SABRA LANE: Ms Gillard called for Mr Brough's disendorsement as an LNP candidate yesterday and said the issue was part of a pattern of behaviour for Mr Abbott.

MAL BROUGH: Look, yesterday the matter was very confusing. I was presented with a fait accompli that there had been a menu which, as I said at the time, I had not seen, but was in no position to clarify whether something was in it was there that I hadn't witnessed.

The last thing I wanted to do was to make categoric statements which were found to be incorrect.

JOURNALIST: Why apologise yesterday, Mal, if...

MAL BROUGH: I apologised for the comments because it was presented to me as though it was a fait accompli that it was there. Here was a document. I wasn't to know that it wasn't there, that has become clear.

And I'm saying, if I have been somewhere where this document has been presented, then it doesn't stand for my principles and my values or my family's and it's the decent thing to do.

Neither the Prime Minister, nor any other woman, should have to tolerate this sort of language.

It is on the internet, there are incredible, vile things on the internet today and it's demeaning to a lot of people.

SABRA LANE: The Leader of the Opposition was asked if the Prime Minister had over-reacted.

TONY ABBOTT: This was a bad taste menu that never made it out of the kitchen. It wasn't seen by anyone at the event, it was never distributed to people at the event, it was a tacky joke that never made it outside of the kitchen.

I think now that we know the facts everyone can all move on.

SABRA LANE: The Government though doesn't believe it is the end of it. The Deputy Prime Minister, Wayne Swan was asked if the Government had overreached and whether he would withdraw calls for Mr Brough's disendorsement.

WAYNE SWAN: Absolutely not. This is a vile act by those that were at the lunch. The stories that have been told by various participants simply don't add up.

To my way of thinking, it's almost inconceivable that this menu was not sighted by participants at the lunch, and I don't think we've heard any convincing case from any of the participants that wasn't seen by people.

JOURNALIST: So do you not believe the owner of the restaurant who said that this was just an in joke that was never seen by the Liberal Party.

WAYNE SWAN: No I don't.

ELEANOR HALL: That's the Deputy Prime Minister, Wayne Swan, ending that report from our chief political correspondent, Sabra Lane.