Penny Wong ‘regrets’ child gibe to fellow Labor senator Kimberley Kitching

Penny Wong says she did not apologise to Kimberley Kitching for raising the late senator’s lack of children until the exchange was made public.

Penny Wong says she did not apologise to Kimberley Kitching for raising the late senator’s lack of children until the exchange was made public, claiming she was unaware the comment had been upsetting until it was leaked to the media.

In a policy debate in 2019, Senator Wong reportedly lashed out at Senator Kitching’s opposition to Labor calling for a climate emergency in parliament.

“Well, if you had children, you might understand why there is a climate emergency,” Senator Wong reportedly said.

Senator Wong said the quote was “not precisely the words” but conceded the substance of the ­reporting.

“My motivation, in that exchange wasn’t to personally attack her,” she told Nine Network.

“My motivation was to express the distress that many children feel about climate change. But what I said was insensitive. I regret it.

“And I apologised, as I should, when I became aware how she felt about it.”

Senator Wong, who has denied bullying Senator Kitching, said she did not apologise until the conversation was reported in the media “because she never raised it with me”.

When asked why it had not occurred that the comments would be upsetting, Senator Wong said: “We have a lot of ­robust exchanges.”

Senator Wong also defended herself against accusations that she subjected then defence minister Linda Reynolds to a tough line of questioning during a parliamentary committee in the Senate which almost put her in hospital, and did not take a public stand for Liberal MP Nicolle Flint before she decided to leave politics over bullying.

It comes following a report from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins that found women more likely to engage in bullying in Parliament House.

Senator Wong said she had spent her 20-year career in politics advancing the role of women but conceded politics was a “tough game”.

Scott Morrison on Sunday attacked Anthony Albanese for his response to the bullying alle­gations of Senator Kitching, accusing the Labor Party of being hypocritical over its stance towards women.

The Opposition Leader has repeatedly refused to investigate the allegations of bullying, isolation and hostility towards Senator Kitching, on Saturday accusing the media of inappropriately prosecuting the issue two days before her funeral.

This comes despite a growing number of Labor MPs backing an independent inquiry into the allegations, raising concern of a “rotten” culture among the party’s senior ranks.

The Prime Minister said the Mr Albanese was living in a “crystal cathedral” as he demanded he investigate the allegations.

“The Labor Party was always very quick to accuse, but when they have to address these very serious allegations themselves, well, they’re very hard to find,” Mr Morrison said.

“They’re living in glass houses. Some might say even a crystal cathedral on these things where they’re pretty quick to throw stones.”

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham echoed calls for Mr Albanese to show more leadership on the issue, arguing that he had been “completely absent”.

Mr Albanese did not hold a press conference on Sunday, despite the Labor Party’s huge election win in the South Australian state election.