National Party deputy leader Perin Davey admitted she drank alcohol before making a rambling statement at a late-night Senate committee meeting.
Footage of Ms Davey during last Tuesday night’s meeting in Canberra has been widely shared on social media and shows her slurring her words as she talks about arts funding during the Environment Estimates Committee meeting and Communications.
Davey told Sky News on Saturday that he had had a couple of glasses of red wine before the meeting.
“I went to the Nationals staff drinks that were on Tuesday night,” Ms. Davey confirmed.
“I don’t think he was drunk.”
When contacted by Daily Mail Australia during the week, a spokesperson for Davey argued that she had simply been showing her passion for the arts.
Ms Davey had struggled to voice her concerns about funding the mainstream performing arts (AMP) sector at the meeting.
‘AMPs still receive funding, which is good, because they deserve it. Don’t let me take anything away. They absolutely, you know, this is, this is Australian culture,” Ms Davey rambled during her speech.
‘In terms of program funding, do we still have program funding, outside of the four-year model and outside of the AMP model? Are we still seeing funding for programs?
‘Or do we have, segregated, the AMPs, you have your financing, you go and do your arts – we love you – and then the small and medium-sized ones and others, and we accept that others have financing for four years and that helps with their core? business model, but everyone else is fighting each other, but they are no longer fighting the MPAs.’
When contacted by Daily Mail Australia during the week, a spokesperson for Davey argued that she had simply been showing her passion for the arts.
A Labor expert asked what Ms Davey meant in her lengthy statement. “If I went to a meeting like that, I would be asked to come home and rest,” the source, who watched the situation unfold, told Daily Mail Australia.
Earlier, a Labor expert asked what Ms Davey meant in her lengthy statement.
“If I went to a meeting like that, I would be asked to come home and rest,” the source, who watched the situation unfold, told Daily Mail Australia.
In response, Davey’s spokesperson had previously insisted that the senator was consistent throughout the hearing and called the criticism “pathetic.”
‘Senator Davey is passionate about regional arts funding and has been pushing for a greater share of arts and cultural budgets for regional Australia since coming to Parliament.
The senator’s questions and statements flowed best at the beginning of the committee hearing and during an interview with Sky News later that day.
Labour-aligned advertising guru Dee Madigan also shared images of Davey with Xs with the caption “Compare the couple”. 3 hours apart.’
In that television interview, Ms Davey spoke about the High Court decision that released 149 asylum seekers, some accused of serious crimes, into the community.
During the interview, the New South Wales senator effectively criticized the Albanian government’s handling of the crisis, arguing that the Labor Party was “warned” about the worst-case scenario and reacted in an “arrogant” manner.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Senator Davey for comment.