Young Liberals accuse Peter Malinauskas of making sexist remark after the group ambushed his morning run

The Liberals have accused Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas of having a “boy’s club attitude” after he made a “sexist remark” to Young Liberals yesterday.

Treasurer Rob Lucas has accused Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas of having a “boorish boy’s club attitude” after he made a “sexist remark” to a group of Young Liberals yesterday.

The group ambushed Mr Malinauskas’ weekly run at 6am Wednesday after he invited “everyone” to join him during the election campaign.

“We were side-by-side and, as we slowed down to stop, he continued past the Young Liberals and yelled ‘given up, girls?’,” Young Liberals President Aric Pierce said. The comment was made to a group of runners, most of whom were male.

Those who crashed the run wore red T-shirts emblazoned with messages including “higher taxes and bills”, “downgraded our hospitals” and “closed the Repat Hospital”.

“One Young Liberal replied ‘that’s derogatory’.”

Mr Lucas came out firing on Thursday morning, and said the remarks were from a bygone era and “totally unbecoming of a modern leader”.

“This kind of boorish boy’s club attitude may have been encouraged while he was the boss of a union, but is completely inappropriate and out-of-touch for a man who wants to be the leader of our state – more than half of whom are women,” Mr Lucas said.

“We should be doing everything in our power as a society to encourage, support and instil confidence in young women and girls, not reference them as some kind of insult.”

Members of the SA Young Liberals joined Labor leader Peter Malinauskas on his Wednesday run. Picture: SA Young Liberals / Facebook

Mr Pierce, who works for Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, said the “backwards-thinking behaviour” was not what the public deserved from someone in Mr Malinauskas’ position.

“For Peter Malinauskas to suggest women are weaker is offensive, and especially tone deaf a day after International Women’s Day,” he said.

Asked about the allegation, Mr Malinauskas said he did not remember making the statement but acknowledged there was “a bit of banter” between himself and the Young Liberals.

“If there was a quip that was out of place then that shouldn’t have happened and I apologise for that,” he said.

“But, I’ve got to say, it was all pretty good fun, like we even stopped the run at one point so everyone could catch up and come together and that’s including the Young Liberals.

“To be honest, we had a good chat … it was all good fun.”

Pete ‘Closed the Repat’ Malinauskas put a call out to all South Australians to join him on his hump day run.
So we obliged. Stay tuned for more. pic.twitter.com/HnxkQ03sRr

— SA Young Liberals (@sayoungliberals) March 8, 2022

The Young Liberals posted the stunt to Twitter and Facebook, saying “Pete ‘Closed the Repat’ Malinauskas put a call out to all South Australians to join him on his hump day run. So we obliged.”

Mr Malinauskas ramped up his campaign at the start of the month by inviting the public go for runs with him from 6am every Wednesday.

He is seeking to turn the campaign to the future, rather than an examination of Labor’s 16 years in power that ended in 2018.

“We’re running for the future,” Mr Malinauskas told The Advertiser on his first jog of the campaign.