Malcolm Turnbull carpets Peter Dutton for ‘mad witch’ insult

Malcolm Turnbull has cautioned Peter Dutton about his conduct in calling a female journalist a ‘mad f..king witch’.

Malcolm Turnbull has cautioned Immigration Minister Peter Dutton about his conduct in calling a female journalist a “mad f..king witch” as the blunder widened a political stoush over ministerial standards and respect for women.

The Prime Minister expressed his view of the “inappropriate” remark directly to Mr Dutton on Sunday afternoon, just as the minister owned up to sending the comment to the political editor for News Corp Australia’s Sunday newspapers, Samantha Maiden.

Mr Turnbull tried to avoid inflaming the controversy yesterday by making no public appearances where he could be asked his view of Mr Dutton’s use of the word “witch” — a term that sparked uproar when protesters used it against Julia Gillard.

Acting Opposition Leader Penny Wong blasted him for his silence and declared he should “front up to the Australian people” on whether he agreed or not that Mr Dutton’s comments were appropriate. “The first action that needs to be taken is the Prime Minister needs to break his silence,” she said.

“On this issue, silence is not an option. He needs to front up to Australians and explain what he thinks of the behaviour, why he says it’s acceptable and most of all, why it is consistent with the standards of ministerial behaviour.”

But Labor frontbencher Stephen Conroy was more circumspect, saying it was appropriate for Mr Dutton to apologise. “I think that just shows that everyone can press the button at the wrong moment,’’ he told Sky News.

Mr Dutton apologised to Maiden on Sunday after he called her a “mad f..king witch” in a text message he sent her by mistake, when he intended to send the remark to Jamie Briggs as a sign of support for the former cities minister after his resignation last week.

Soon after Mr Dutton admitted to the blunder, Mr Turnbull phoned him to discuss the matter and offer his view that it was an “inappropriate” remark, which Mr Dutton has conceded.

Mr Turnbull made a brief statement last night to confirm his verdict of Mr Dutton’s remark. “As I advised the minister yesterday, his language was clearly inappropriate, as he recognised by apologising immediately to Ms Maiden,” the Prime Minister said.

Coalition MPs said yesterday Mr Dutton had clearly blundered in a way that damaged the government, but they spoke on condition they would not be named. It is the minister’s second public stumble in recent months after his joke about the impact of climate change on Pacific islands as he stood alongside Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison in front of TV cameras and beneath a boom microphone in September.

Employment Minister and Minister for Women Michaelia Cash noted that Mr Dutton had apologised immediately to the journalist and subsequently outed himself publicly.

Maiden said yesterday she was not offended by Mr Dutton’s remark but could understand that others would be.