Independent Teal Zali Steggall has criticised both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton for their parliamentary misconduct on both sides of the major party divide.
She has condemned “the booing, the bullying, the shouting and the intimidation”, describing having experienced a “mob mentality, a complete unwillingness to even tolerate the idea that anyone else could speak on camera”.
The only problem is that, in her moralistic attitude, Steggall cannot see beyond her own nose. She is also part of the problem.
Steggall is absolutely right that debates in Parliament often result in childish name-calling and rude and unedifying behaviour. As, for example, just a few days ago, when he called Peter Dutton a “racist” for expressing opinions he did not agree with.
The few of us who tune into Question Time see the misconduct Steggall talks about almost every day. We have also witnessed his participation in it.
I can also confirm that the shouting and insults often seen during Question Time are even worse when viewed from the seats in the press gallery behind the President’s chair. The microphones do not pick up everything that happens for those watching from home.
But Steggall’s bad behaviour in the chamber when he attacked Dutton was not a simple booing. He delivered his insult while standing after having been called by the Speaker, which is clearly against the rules.
When Steggall branded Dutton a racist for asking questions about the vetting process for Gaza refugees arriving in Australia, she was forced to withdraw the unparliamentary comment, which she duly did.
Independent Zali Steggall (pictured) regrets bad behaviour in parliament, but not her own
But she repeated the insult outside Parliament anyway, doubling down on her misconduct rather than simply admitting that the heat of the moment got the better of her.
It must be wonderful to have so little introspection as to be willing and able to point the finger at others for acting exactly as you act. Pot, kettle, black. Hypocrisy is your name. Do as I say, not as I do.
These clichés sum up Steggall’s mantra these days. Just days after his parliamentary misconduct, he is brazenly denouncing similar behaviour by others.
Perhaps the real problem is the culture of parliament as a whole, a culture in which Teal, the longest-serving member of parliament, is now so immersed that she cannot acknowledge her own bad behaviour.
Probably in part because it’s applauded on platforms like X, where bad behavior is the norm rather than the exception most of the time.
Steggall has been a federal MP for five years, since winning her seat in the 2019 federal election. She is getting used to the bad behaviour of everyone around her, so she can’t see her own bad behaviour as a consequence. The proverbial slow-boiling frog.
It must be wonderful to have so little self-reflection that you are willing and able to point the finger at others for acting exactly as you do.