A Gold Coast MP has fiercely defended a comment she made in State Parliament, accusing the Labor Government of mixing her words.
Mudgeeraba MP and Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates came under fire on Wednesday after yelling “cross your legs” across the Chamber while Health Minister Shannon Fentiman was responding to a question about cancelled maternity services.
The Health Minister and Premier then blasted vision of the incident across social media.
Ms Bates later slammed the post as a “baseless misrepresentation” of what she had said.
She claimed the comment was not directed at Ms Fentiman, but rather the Government’s advice to mothers who have to bypass the hospital and travel elsewhere to give birth.
“With Labor suggesting women could just bypass their local hospital to go to another hospital to give birth, I could not believe Labor was telling mothers to ‘cross your legs’ while in labour. This is the comment I made,” Ms Bates said in a statement.
“The comment was clearly not about the health minister, it was about the alarming Queensland maternity crisis, which continues to worsen on her watch and is putting women and children at risk.
“Shannon Fentiman is aware I am a victim of domestic violence. She is also aware I am a mother.
“For her to mischaracterise my words for her own political gain and attempt to portray me as a misogynist is deeply offensive”.
A statement from me.
The truth matters.
Just not to @ShannonFentiman and @StevenJMiles. pic.twitter.com/lCik40aedN
— Ros Bates MP (@Ros_Bates_MP) May 22, 2024
Ms Bates said she would be writing to Speaker Curtis Pitt, demanding Ms Fentiman “apologise and admit she deliberately misrepresented Parliament”.
“When Labor is backed into a corner, their true colours shine through,” she said.
“As the Health Minister and Minister for Women, Shannon Fentiman should be ashamed of herself”.
