Politicians in Australia are upset after an Australian Conservatives party candidate was called a cunt on national television.
The c-bomb was dropped in a sketch on ABC Comedy's Tonightly, a news and current affairs comedy show with a format not dissimilar to The Daily Show. The sketch covered a recent by-election in the Victorian seat of Batman and proposed the region be renamed "Batman-was-a-cunt" ("John-Batman-was-a-low-dog-cunt was also suggested) due to the involvement of the area's namesake, John Batman, in the murder of Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
When Tonightly comedian Greg Larsen began to redesign campaign material to include the "new" name of the electorate (Batman-was-a-cunt), he stumbled upon Australian Conservatives candidate Kevin Bailey's campaign signage, which did not feature the name of the electorate.
As there was no mention of "Batman" anywhere on the poster, Larsen said he had to put "Kevin Bailey is a cunt" instead.
Federal communications minister Mitch Fifield, Coalition frontbencher Simon Birmingham and Australian Conservatives party leader Cory Bernardi have all come out against the show, with Bernardi telling ABC Radio Adelaide he didn't think the language was appropriate on TV at any time.
"I think someone needs to lose their job over it, because it's not like these things go to air without being pre-screened," he said.
Bernardi said party candidate Bailey had previously refused to be interviewed for the show and asked ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie to investigate.
Bernardi's sentiment was echoed by Birmingham, who also called for "somebody" to lose their job over the incident.
Fifield, the minister for communications and the arts, said on Twitter that the segment "crossed the line".
Candidates for elected office expect to be criticised and parodied. But this ABC segment clearly crossed a line, particularly given that it was directed towards an individual who has served his nation in uniform. #auspol https://t.co/XmFQyi1sLM
People were quick to react to criticism of the sketch, with many pointing towards Bernardi's history of campaigning for free speech.
Government ministers attempting to censor the media is a far more genuine free speech issue than garbage about students protesting conservative speakers etc.
Our #freespeech warriors are not the most self-aware creatures. #auspol https://t.co/YxdzuMzLgB via @ABCNews
The ABC said it will respond to the minister and senator Bernardi in due course.
BuzzFeed News has contacted the ABC for comment.