Former Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie has slammed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and said that working with him was like dealing with a ‘toddler’.
While appearing on the ABC's Q&A programme, Lambie spoke of the difficulties she faced working with Morrison while negotiating to resettle hundreds of refugees to New Zealand in 2019.
She told the panel: “For me, it was trying to do the refugee deal job. It was like dealing with a two-year-old, to be honest with you, on a tempy tampy."
"That's what it was like,” she said.
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"It was either his way or the highway but I refused to move and I refused to budge".
Lambie’s response comes after audience member Stuart Loughton asked about her own experience working with the PM following outgoing Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells' comments, who labelled Morrison as a ‘bully’ during her appearance on the Senate floor.
She responded: "The truth of the matter is that Connie Fierravanti-Wells got done over," Senator Lambie said.
"She's one of the best performers up there because she speaks her mind, because she stands up as a woman.
"For that, she is punished.
"That is why she has not had a ministry for so long and that is why she was not pre-selected. And that is the truth of the matter."
While speaking with the Upper House, Fierravanti-Wells attacked the PM for destroying the Liberal Party for his role in the preselection and accused Immigration Minister Alex Hawke of applying ‘corrupt antics’ inside the Liberal Party which led to her demotion.
After her comments on Morrison, the panel sparked a conversation around the skyrocketing house prices in the metropolitan area to which Barnaby Joyce boasted he bought his first home for AU $67,000 (£38,342)
However, Lambie quickly interrupted the deputy prime minister and simply said 'Jesus, Barnaby'.
“I don't know what planet you're on," she said.
"You're looking at $600,000 now. And that's on a good day. Fair dinkum.”
She also added that being a homeowner was out of reach for many Australians, especially with the competitive property market and prices continuing to surge.
“The stark reality is this: you can't get a tradie for the next two years, shipping is going through the roof, materials are costing more,” she said.
“Even if you're putting money away now, if you think you're in reach of building a house now, give it another three or four years, on the trajectory we're in, good luck to you.
“Your owning an Aussie house, your dream of doing that is going out the window. You can't pay rent and save.”
Charisa Bossinakis