Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has said senator David Leyonhjelm was "slut-shaming" her when he yelled "stop shagging men, Sarah" during parliamentary debate.
"He is, for lack of a better word — and I really apologise for this — I'm thankful that my daughter is home in bed still and not up for school — he is slut-shaming me," Hanson-Young told ABC's Radio National this morning. "That is what he is doing."
Leyonhjelm has not denied yelling the words across the floor of the Senate during a debate on Friday about whether women should protect themselves against violence with pepper spray and has since refused to apologise for the slur.
Hanson-Young told the parliament that she confronted the senator to check she had heard correctly and he confirmed it, so she called him a "creep".
"His reply was to tell me to f-dot-dot-dot off," she told the Senate in a speech later that day.
Leyonhjelm has claimed he yelled the initial comment in response to Hanson-Young saying something about "all men being rapists". He has also claimed, via tweets, to more than a dozen journalists and politicians that he was responding to her "misandry".
A spokesman for Hanson-Young denied that she had said anything about men being rapists but had said "putting tasers on the street isn’t going to protect women from men".
During the interview on Tuesday morning Hanson-Young said his words were "below the bar" in 2018.
Sarah Hanson Young just explained what slutshaming is on @RNBreakfast. Good morning to everyone except men who harasses women in the workplace.
"To turn around and tell me to stop shagging men because for some reason they believe they have a right to say that I'm a promiscuous woman," she said.
"I have an 11-year-old daughter, and boy I hope the world is a better place by the time she enters the workforce."
Hanson-Young is also investigating suing Leyonhjelm and Sky News after a strap at the bottom of the screen during Leyonhjelm's interview on the Outsiders program (hosted by former Liberal politician Ross Cameron and commentator Rowan Dean) displayed an offensive comment made by Leyonhjelm about Hanson-Young.
Sky News tweeted an apology on Sunday and said the producer had been suspended and the hosts apologised when their program aired again on Monday night.
.@rowandean and @RossCameron4: Yesterday we issued an apology to @sarahinthesen8. We want to make it clear that apology is sincerely made. We could have, and should have, handled it better. MORE: https://t.co/NSNdboQK9j #Outsiders https://t.co/qAYIVOggST
"I think ultimately the people that need to take responsibility for this are those who run the show and of course the bloke making the comment," Hanson-Young said on Tuesday morning.
"I must say it was pretty uncomfortable and awful to sit there and watch that exchange where David Leyonhjelm makes these awful comments, offensive comments, and to see the hosts sniggering in the corner. They laughed. That's not the junior producer's responsibility, that was those two men on set with him and they must take responsibility."