Max Chandler-Mather lashes Prime Minister Anthony Albanese over “offensive” behaviour claims
Max Chandler-Mather has hit back at Anthony Albanese after the Prime Minister said the booted Greens MP should take a look in the mirror.
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A turfed Greens MP has hit back at Anthony Albanese who claimed his behaviour was responsible for his downfall - saying his “attack” proved his point on the political class.
Ousted Griffith MP Max Chandler-Mather took to X after the Prime Minister criticised his behaviour in an interview on ABC’s The 7.30 Report.
Mr Albanese claimed Mr Chandler-Mather stood in front of signs at a CFMEU rally last year that described the Prime Minister “as a Nazi” before slamming his line of questioning in Question Time as “offensive”.
“He should have a good look at the way that he asked questions in the Parliament and maybe what he needs is a mirror and a reflection on why he’s no longer in Parliament,” Mr Albanese told ‘The 7.30 Report’.
“This is a guy who stood before signs at a CFMEU rally in Brisbane describing me as a Nazi.
“I think he should have a look at the way that he conducted himself in Question Time, including the questions he asked of me, which I found pretty offensive and some of which were ruled out of order.
“I think it’s a bit rich for him, of all people, who has been rejected by his own electorate after just one term.”
In response to the interview, Mr Chandler-Mather said that the Prime Minister’s “attack” on him proves “how the political class treats people”.
“I feel like the PM launching into another attack on someone who isn’t even in Parliament, rather than celebrating a historic win proves my point, which is this is how the political class treats ppl (sic) who fight for renters and real change. Compare this to his kind words for (Peter) Dutton,” Mr Chandler-Mather posted to X.
Mr Chandler-Mather’s mention of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton refers to the Prime Minister’s victory speech, where he spoke with a level of respect for his political rival.
“I spoke with Peter Dutton, who has of course conceded defeat, and I thank him – we treat people with respect,” Mr Albanese said in response to a jeer from the crowd on Saturday night.
The back-and-forth between Mr Chandler-Mather and Mr Albanese was initially sparked after the former Greens MP labelled Parliament as a “bloody awful” workplace.
“In terms of a workplace, it was bloody awful, and frankly a lot of the time, miserable,” he told Triple J’s Hack program.
Mr Chandler-Mather did not respond to a request for comment from The Courier-Mail.
In response to the PM’s comments about Nazi signs at the CFMEU rally, a spokesman for Mr Chandler-Mather said “Max was clear at the time that he condemned those signs, had asked them to be removed, and they were”.
The stoush between Mr Chandler-Mather and Mr Albanese comes as the count in the western Brisbane seat of Ryan, which is held by the Greens, continues.
As of 2pm on Thursday, Australian Electoral Commission figures showed LNP candidate Maggie Forrest, who has conceded, leads the first preference count with 32,783 votes, ahead of incumbent Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown on 26,793 votes and Labor candidate Rebecca Hack on 26,232 votes.
Ms Watson-Brown holds 56.5 per cent of the votes to Ms Forrest’s 43.5 per cent on preferences.
The count continues despite Sky News calling Ryan for Ms Watson-Brown on Thursday morning.
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