Journalist Samantha Maiden accepts Peter Dutton’s ‘mad witch’ text apology

Labor slams Peter Dutton’s “boorish” and “unbecoming” text after he called a female journalist a “mad f.king witch”

Peter Dutton’s text to Samantha Maiden was reportedly intended for Jamie Briggs.

Labor has lashed out at Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s “boorish” and “unbecoming” text after he called a female journalist a “mad f.king witch”, urging Malcolm Turnbull to explain the cabinet minister’s behaviour.

Mr Dutton has come under fire for the text message he accidentally sent to News Corp Australia’s Sunday political editor, Samantha Maiden, over her coverage of fallen junior minister Jamie Briggs’s late-night bar incident with a female public servant in Hong Kong.

Mr Dutton has apologised for calling Maiden a “mad f.king witch” after she reported yesterday that Mr Briggs had sent colleagues a photograph of the diplomat who complained about his behaviour, which ultimately led to his resignation from the frontbench.

It is understood Mr Dutton ­accidentally sent the text message to Maiden instead of Mr Briggs in what was intended as a show of support for the besieged South Australian MP.

Penny Wong said the Turnbull government is in chaos.

Acting Labor leader Penny Wong said the Prime Minister must “break his silence” on Mr Dutton’s text and declared the saga a “test” of his leadership.

“I think most Australians, they don’t want women spoken about in this way by their kids, by their friends, they don’t want women spoken about in this way in their workplaces and I certainly don’t think they want it around the cabinet table,” Senator Wong said.

“(Mr Dutton is) behaving in a way which really is boorish and is unbecoming of anyone let alone a senior cabinet minister.

“(Mr Turnbull) needs to front up to Australians and explain what the thinks of the behaviour, why he say it’s acceptable and most of all, why it is consistent with the stands of ministerial behaviour.”

Mr Briggs announced his resignation from the frontbench last week, saying his behaviour at the Stormies Bar in later November did not meet “the particularly high standards for ministers”.

The Prime Minister later said the conduct “did not live up to the standard required of ministers” and was a “serious matter”.

While denying he sent the photograph of the diplomat and his chief of staff, ­Stuart Eaton, at the Hong Kong bar to the media, Mr Briggs said he had shared it with some colleagues ­before and after the complaint in an attempt to highlight the ­“informal” nature of the night.

But Senator Wong said this was “completely inconsistent” with apparent attempts by Mr Briggs to protect the privacy of the woman.

Earlier report:Reporter accepts Dutton apology

The journalist Immigration Minister Peter Dutton dubbed a “witch” in a message he accidentally sent her says it was a “solid sledge”, but has accepted his apology.

Samantha Maiden.

Samantha Maiden, the political editor for News Corp’s Sunday papers, received a text from the minister labelling her a “mad f***ing witch”, after penning a column critical of Jamie Briggs.

The message was reportedly intended for Mr Briggs, who has stepped down after acting inappropriately towards a diplomat while on an overseas trip.

“It’s a solid sledge,” she told the Nine Network this morning.

“I sent him a text immediately saying `you know mate, you’ve sent that mad witch text to the mad witch’ and he was more than happy to apologise right away.” Ms Maiden said Mr Dutton made the decision to own up, after she chose not to name him when appearing on Sunday television.

She hoped he doesn’t end up in the backbench in light of the message mix-up.

“Mr Dutton is a good minister, he’s a hard worker, he’s made a strong contribution to the government,” she said, adding there are more substantive issues in relation to the Briggs affair.

In a statement on Sunday evening Mr Dutton said he was expecting a tough time in the journalist’s next column.

“Sam and I have exchanged some robust language over the years so we had a laugh after this and I apologised to her straight away, which she took in good faith,” he said.

Malcolm Turnbull is understood to regard the derogatory comment more seriously, describing it privately as “completely ­inappropriate”.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the incident was “unfortunate”, but Mr Dutton recognised his error and immediately contacted the journalist to apologise.

“(He) of course has come out and publicly acknowledged that it was him, to avoid there being a witch-hunt or blame being pointed in other directions,” Mr Birmingham told ABC radio.

With AAP