Liberal senator Amanda Stoker has accused a Labor advisor of calling her a “c***” and a “f***wit” while she was undertaking a television interview.

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The Assistant Minister to the Attorney General was taking part in an interview with Sky News on Thursday morning, while her Press Secretary looked on recording the interview.

Senator Stoker says the recording made by her staffer captured the Labor MP and his staffer, who were standing nearby, using the phrases “What a c***” and “f***wit.” The senator’s team then sent the audio to multiple media outlets, while calling for an apology from Jones.

“I’m a big girl, and able to cop insults, however unfair,” Stoker said.

“But my staff shouldn’t have to put up with an environment like that, and given Labor spend a lot of time talking about respect and tolerance, it would be nice to see them practise what they preach. Utter hypocrites.” Stoker told News.com

Stephen Jones has responded denying the conversation was about Senator Stoker and he utterly rejected her accusation. He says the insults were directed at One Nation’s NSW leader Mark Latham.

Earlier in the week Jones had told the parliament about the death of his nephew who was transgender, and also spoke about how proud he was of his own son Paddy, who has a love of makeup and women’s clothing. Jones had shared gained the permission of his son before speaking about him in parliament, and Paddy Quilter-Jones had subsequently spoken to a number of media outlets.

Mark Latham had responded online to the teenager’s interview with the Sydney Morning Herald criticizing the Labor MP’s parenting. Jones has told the media that the comments recorded by Senator Stoker’s staffer was his reaction upon seeing the social media post from Latham.

“The media adviser and I were recorded without our knowledge having a private conversation about a tweet Mark Latham posted about my son,” Jones said.

“I can’t remember which one of us called Mr Latham a c**t.”

Later in the day Senator Stoker returned to Sky News appearing on Credlin where she said, despite Jones denial, she still believed the comments were directed at her.

“I’m a big girl” she repeated, “If someone wants to use a couple of pretty choice swear words to describe me, even if it’s not especially fair.”

Senator Stoker said the important issue was that the comments were not suitable to be said in a work environment.

‘When the Labor party have just spent months going to town on the idea that they are somehow better than everyone else in the world when it comes to workplace culture it’s the height of hypocrisy.”

The Queensland senator said the comments had not distracted her from getting on with the job, but she was disappointed she had not received an apology.

“I got a barely plausible denial, and what’s most troubling about it is that while one swear word was denied, the other swear word wasn’t, it was implicit in that suggestion that either of them were fine and while we had inadvertently recorded through my Press Secretary a member of the this Labor MPs staff speaking in a pretty disgusting fashion, there was no reprimand, there was no leadership from this so-called respected male colleague.”

Stoker said that instead of calling out the inappropriate behaviour, the Labor MP had allowed it stand.

“It was tolerated, implicitly endorsed and then defended publicly. I think that says a lot about the real Labor party, the one that you get when you see the behaviour of the people rather than what goes out in the press releases.”

Mark Latham has responded to furor saying he welcomed name calling directed at his comments.

“I welcome name calling directed at me, I can take it.” Latham said during an appearance on The Rita Panahi Show. “I has absolutely no impact on me whatsoever.”

Latham said if people called him a “c” it was no big deal and people needed a thick skin in politics.

OIP Staff

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