The political furore over the wording of a ‘joke’ item on the menu offering “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail – Small Breasts, Huge Thighs & A Big Red Box,” has been the biggest story in politics Down Under this week.
Sunshine Coast LNP candidate Mal Brough has come under fire for the poor taste gag from the prime minister herself and former PM Kevin Rudd.
Criticising LNP leader Tony Abbot, Gillard said “Let’s go through the pattern of behaviour. Mr Abbott personally has gone and stood next to signs that described me in a sexist way.
“We’ve had the Young Liberals hosting a function where jokes were cracked about the death of my father. And now, we have Mr Brough and Mr Hockey at a function with this grossly sexist and offensive menu on display. Join the dots.”
Former PM Kevin Rudd said “Mr Brough should be doing more than apologising. Mr Brough should be taking a long hard look at himself because this behaviour is not appropriate in the 21st century.”
However, Joe Richards, the owner of the restaurant where the dinner was due to take place, issued a statement saying that the menu was never actually used for the occasion, and was a mock-up that got leaked via social media:
“I would like to confirm what actually happened: there were never any menus distributed on the tables or in the restaurant,”
“I created a mock menu myself as a light-hearted joke. However, as I said, I never produced them for public distribution.
“Unfortunately, a staff member saw the mock menu and, unbeknownst to myself, posted it on their Facebook page. It now appears that a third party, for political reasons, has distributed it.”
