The leader of the ACT Liberals has been filmed giving the middle finger to a journalist immediately after a press conference.
Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee gave a one-finger salute to journalist Ian Bushnell after a brief exchange on Wednesday, just three days before ACT election day.
The RiotACT reporter had peppered Lee with questions about the costs of his party’s politics.
The clip preceding Ms Lee’s middle finger shows the Canberra Liberals leader criticizing the territory’s chief minister, ACT Labour’s Andrew Barr.
Bushnell and Lee talk, the politician asks the reporter if he’s done interrupting, and the reporter asks her to answer questions about her party’s policies.
The press conference concludes shortly after.
The opposition leader walks a few steps and, in view of a camera, points the middle finger at Mr. Bushnell and grimaces.
An employee of Ms. Lee’s is clearly surprised for a split second, but then Ms. Lee and four associates head for the door.
ACT Liberal leader Elizabeth Lee (pictured) gave a journalist the middle finger after a brief exchange.
ABC reports that Lee and Bushnell have had repeated tense interactions in recent weeks.
Later on Wednesday, Ms Lee said her emotions got the best of her.
“I had bad behavior that was unprofessional and I apologize,” he said.
‘I have history with this journalist.
“I respect the work journalists do, including asking tough questions, and I think I’ve shown during this term that I’m willing to step up and answer tough questions.”
“It disappoints me even more that my daughters think this is the kind of behavior they wouldn’t expect from their mother, who I hope is a role model for them,” she said.
Elizabeth Lee (pictured) says she and the reporter she cheated on “have a history”
The ACT opposition leader was first elected in 2016, following a legal career in the private, public and academic sectors.
The Canberra Liberals won 33.8 per cent of the vote in 2020, behind ACT Labor’s 37.8 per cent.
The ACT system fields multiple candidates from the same party in each of its five electorates. Chief Minister Barr won 22 percent of the vote among 28 candidates.
Ms Lee came third behind an ACT Greens candidate.