Laura Tingle’s nuclear option comment on ABC Insiders causes a stir

Laura Tingle told the public broadcaster’s flagship political program on Sunday that the Morrison government might ‘nuke somebody or something’ at the party’s campaign launch.

The ABC’s chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle.

The ABC’s chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle, told the public broadcaster’s flagship political program on Sunday that the Morrison government might “nuke somebody or something” at the party’s campaign launch, in an apparent reference to her perception that the Coalition’s housing policy was underwhelming.

“The housing stuff is Mini-Me versus Mickey Mouse. Now, is this really the centrepiece of the campaign launch today by the government?” Tingle said on Insiders on Sunday morning.

“Maybe they are going to announce they are going to nuke somebody or something, I mean, Lord knows. But this is really small beer policy at a time when housing affordability is a huge issue.”

Her “nuke” reference came just hours after international news agencies reported that a senior Putin ally within the Kremlin had threatened that Russia could launch nuclear attacks on Britain and Finland.

Tingle’s provocative terminology towards the Morrison government did not go unnoticed by senior figures within the Coalition on Sunday, one of whom told The Australian: “We question whether the ABC will pursue Laura Tingle over her language toward the Coalition in the same way that it pursued Fauziah Ibrahim over her comments towards Labor.”

It was announced last month that Ibrahim, the longtime co-host of the ABC’s weekend breakfast program, was “taking a break from on-camera duties” after posting a series of tweets which were perceived to be anti-Labor, including one which alluded to some ALP figures as “lobotomised shitheads”.

Tingle has had a rocky relationship with the Morrison government since she accused it in a late-night tweet in 2020 of “ideological bastardry”, and described Prime Minister Scott Morrison as “smug”. The ABC Communications team did not respond to The Australian’s inquiries about Tingle’s on-air comments on Sunday. Tingle also did not respond to questions from The Australian.

Originally published as Laura Tingle’s nuclear option comment on ABC Insiders causes a stir