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Updated: 10.14am
AN AUSTRALIAN RADIO presenter has been sacked after he asked the country’s prime minister if her partner is gay during a live radio interview.
6PR presenter Howard Sattler suggested that Tim Mathieson may be gay because he is a hairdresser and asked Gillard to comment on speculation that this is the case.
He has earlier been suspended for his comments but has since been sacked by the station’s parent company Fairfax Radio whose general manager announced the sacking on air earlier today.
The awkward radio exchange took place yesterday ahead of the country’s general election in September where it is likely that Gillard’s Labor Party will be heavily defeated by the Liberal National Party.
YouTube: videosa1099
In a statement issuing an apology for the incident, the Perth-based station said that the line of questioning was “disrespectful and irrelevant to the political debate”.
“Mr Sattler apologised later in the programme for his line of questioning. The management of FRN also extends its sincere apologies to the Prime Minister and her partner,” the statement said.
Sattler has been suspended from broadcasting pending an internal inquiry, the company added. He has since been sacked, it was confirmed by Fairfax’s general manager this morning.
The incident is the latest in a string of sexism controversies in Australia involving Gillard. Earlier this week it emerged that a menu at a fundraiser for an opposition party candidate contained crude comments about her body.
The menu at Liberal National Party candidate Mal Broughs’s fundraiser included: “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail – Small Breasts, Huge Thighs and a Big Red Box”.
Gillard said the menu item was “grossly sexist” while opposition leader Tony Abbott called it “tacky”.
In another incident last year, Gillard hit out at Abbot, “his performance in this parliament and the sexism which he brings with it” in a speech which went viral.
Abbot also previously said that Gillard, who has no children, was inexperienced when it comes to having babies.
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She handled herself very well considering it was an extremely intrusive, ridiculous and irrelevant question. What its wrong with people, why would he even bother asking that question? The DJ just comes off as completely unprofessional.
Agreed. What a tool. One would hope thats the end of his career
He was right to a point and actually he could have turned into a very humorous light hearted conversation and said it was ubsurd. (Which it is) but to be fair to the PM and her husband he took it way way to far and was very intrusive. The PM did very well and was right to get thick with him.
And he deserved to be sacked for asking a question?
He deserved to be sacked for making a joke?
Perhaps they should set up a committee in which all comments and questions must be submitted,
to determine their ‘suitability’.
Free speech but your not allowed say that.
@Sean Mac Gabhann
Partner, not husband. They are not married, but have been in a relationship for some time.
He cast aspersions on a person who had no place in the conversation, propagated a rediculous gay stereotype, and in the process insulted the country’s prime minister. He was sacked because he embarassed his employer in front of the country, and the world. Free speech has nothing to do with it.
He got fired for speaking.
You didn’t like what he had to say and you want him punished because of it but you still have to pretend to believe in free speech so you have to go around it. So no, Chris, Free speech has everything to do with it.
Second. He did not cast ‘aspersions’. You know he was joking as did Gillard but some people want to define for others what is funny and what is not.
““No, that wasn’t funny Dougal, it was funny when he kicked you up the arse, it wasn’t funny when he put the spider in my mouth”
Don’t like his jokes, don’t listen to his show.
You are allowed question the Prime Minister and she is entitled to answer/remain silent or even get up and leave. It’s not a dictatorship.
Unless a person is a feral dog, like the one that spat at that poor Kerry Lady, the other day, real homophobia, like real racism is quiet, it’s subtle. A person looks around before they spew their hatred.
The fact that Gillard is an opponent of Gay marriage and hence a proponent of real discrimination, makes this whole situation preposterous.
She is Prime Minister while he gets sacked for a few words. For asking a question.
@David : not the first time his mouth has had him sacked, had to leave the state last time.
Every thing which was tobe talked about was submitted to the PM’s Office but clearly this bomb was not on it.
Not a husband but a partner which is fine, he has been part of her life for many years.
@DAvid its respect for the Office she holds. it was not not funny and he is a well known red neck so far to the right he’s out of sight!!
*Tick tock * elections on the horizon
and she will be joining DJ on the dole.
As expected she made the economy worse. You come to expect this from a party with the words “labour” in its name – thats a given but what is the point of socialists/ social democrats if not for standing up for human rights and pushing a progressive social agenda?
In her shallow quest for power she has trampled on the rights off the indigenous people, failed to advance rights for the LGBT community, people with mental disabilities and inflicted deep lacerations within her own party that will take a long time to recover making the government more unstable.
Why bother asking her in the first place? Completey irrelevant either way! Australian radio presenters seem to have a habit of being eejets!
I’d say they’re a lot more fun and far lower paid than Joe Duffy though.
Yes but they were also getting “cash for comments” as well. Some drive Rolls Royces so ain’t doing to bad for themselves
“cash for comments”
enlighten the plebs brian.
People who drive a rolls royce are not as well of as you think, its the people who sit in back that are
“cash for comments” = high profile radio presenters had accepted payments for making favourable remarks or comments about various companies and institutions – banks, tel cos, airlines, cable companies and more – without disclosing the interest to the listening public. They said it was OK (when discovered) as they were “entertainers” and not journalists and no ethics were breached.
What country was that in Brian?
What an eejit, what is it with Australian DJ’s and controversy. Are they trying to out do each other.
Talk about having a bad week!!
The menu was really bad whoever thought of that.
Good job he didn’t mention Julia Gillard and the case involving her then boyfriend Bruce Wilson who was involved in fraud and theft when he worked at the AWU or he would have been jailed.
This… and the fundraising dinner menu from last week.
Oz is really back in the 50′s
good man, generalise an entire country for the stupid comments and actions of a few!
if Oz is truly ”back in the 50′s” then why is it constantly ranked one of the most desirable countries to live in and so many irish clambering to get here?
Sometimes generalisations are on the button. I lived in Sydney for a year and found the Australian blokes to be the most unsophisticated, racist, xenophobic and misogynistic ignoramuses you could imagine in western society. The ‘shielas’ aren’t much better.
@Joey JoeJoe Shabadoo before you kick the shit out of Oz for being back in the 50′s, take a look at some of the issues in Ireland (my home) before opening you uninformed mouth
What would you expect from Aussie men? Just look at their family trees. They would make the Healy Rea’s look like a class act :-)
Many of their family trees contain a good few Irish !!
RTE were reluctant to sack those who broadcast the Mission To Prey report – arguably a much more serious transgression on behalf of the journalists than this.
True. But you have to remember, Peadar, that this is following on from the really, really disastrous ‘prank call’ late last year where a nurse committed suicide after two DJ’s pretended to be the Royal family. Remember, they found out private information about Kate Middleton, and the nurse they spoke to put them through to the ward she was in.
That they fired this guy is a quick reaction to that. And I agree about Mission to Prey. It ended the whole show, but I would hazard a guess that many of those involved in the show are still working in RTE.
What a lovely lady…amazing that she became PM of such a misogynistic country!
Australia is not misogynistic, or at least no more so that any other country. Gillard is the first Prime Minister. The Governor-General is a woman. Women have held office as state premiers. And the first Irish Taoiseach is…..
The first woman Taoiseach? (It’s late here.)
Point taken…country cannot be misogynous…we did have three wonderful female Presidents.
”What a lovely lady”
She is no lovely lady . She has trampled on the Rights of the Indigenous people and has them thrown off their land – so that the big mining companies can take the minerlas – of which there are many in Austrailia .
”To pay off the national debt, Rudd had decreed a modest special tax on the profits of giants such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. The response was a vicious advertising campaign against the government and a threat to shut down mines.
‘Within days of her coup, Gillard, who was Rudd’s deputy, had reduced the new tax and the companies’ campaign was called off. It was a repeat of Hawke’s capitulation to the mining companies in the 1980s when they threatened to bring down a state Labor government in Western Australia. Like her predecessors, Gillard is complicit in a land-grab of the one region of Australia, the Northern Territory, where Aboriginal Australians have land and mineral rights. The deceit is spectacular and historical. The government claims it is “protecting” black Australian children from “abuse” and “neglect” within their own communities. Official statistics show that the incidence of child abuse is no different from that of white Australia and the true cause of Aboriginal suffering is a systemic colonial racism that denies housing, water, roads, adequate health care and schools to indigenous people, and which harasses and imprisons them at a greater rate than in South Africa under apartheid.”
http://www.newstatesman.com/australasia/2010/07/pilger-australia-gillard-hawke
Lady ? Lovely ?… She is a hypocrite, and a deceitful disgrace as PM. And I would be just as hard on any man who performed in the same manner in that role.. Even her own party are now deserting her and quite frankly she is the finest example of why we should be able to sue politicians for misleading the public with per election promises..
Yes, Ronan, but the President is a figurehead. Wait until Ireland has its first female Taoiseach, with some real power, and you’ll see the misogynists come out of the woodwork just like they have in Australia.
@Ronan OSiochain/ It is very misogynous most of us females come face to face with it every day.
have lived in Australia for 40 years and little has changed when it comes to the whole male /female thing.
Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese and…. ummm…. the third woman president. … just…. wont…. come… to… me…
Every time a woman fails or is challenged, it must be sexism or misogyny.
Tasteless and thick. Cathy Newman on Channel4 last night said “I don’t know why she [Gillard] continued with that.”
Poor Julia she couldn’t win either way , the DJ would have felt even more superior if she walked out . It was a totally irrelevant question by a bully , Julia was the bigger person here !
What is wrong with asking her?
It not funny for 1
How would u feel if someone asked if your other half was Gay ? Stupid F@cking question
Your putting it as if there is something wrong with her husband being gay? How would you feel if someone asked if your husband was straight?
Daniel I think the DJ set the tone for assuming their was something Wong with him being gay by asking! Also he is going out with a woman and if he was, then he’d be leading her down the garden path quite unfairly… and, it’s nobodies bloody business in an election about another’s partner’s preferences on the bedroom!
Just strange you’d ask anybody the sexual orientation , of your partner or whatever ? As if it really matters ..
This is what I call action. Quick and immeadiate justice. What the DJ was wrong and he was punished for his actions.
There’d be a 12 month inquiry in rte followed by a slap on the wrist quickly followed by a peck on the cheek and an extended contract.
Fair Dinkum
As an Aussie would say ” yeah, fire the bastard”
What a tool.
“It’s not me saying it”
Tosser.
An elegant argument.
You call him a ‘tosser’.
Which is about as harmless, as the joke he made, which caused him to be sacked.
He was joking while you were using the term as an insult.
The rules are different for you?
It amazes me that people here in Oz listen to these ‘red neck shock jocks’, all they want is controversy, if nobody listened to these morons, they wouldn’t be on the air.
Some other red neck radio station will employ this clown.
Thankfully, Melbourne is spared such shock jocks.
Good old Hinch still pops up now and again :)
@Marguerite Hoiby, not the first time he has been sacked, and then had to work inter state for years, he is so far right its not funny. have to say: any thing being asked of the PM must be passed by Press Officer in her Office so don’t know what went wrong!! can’t wait for the elections
Good on ya Skip..
Well done Julia. She handled that really well. Australia’s economy will go down the pan whenever they vote her Labour Party out. Look at what Newman and the liberals have done to QLD. People want them out already.
Total kn@b end ..
The thing is, if he had made a quick quip about it, trying to be funny (even though it still wouldnt have been) it would have been something, but he still proceeded with it, flogging it like a dead horse.
Pretty stupid really.
While the comment is intrusive in itself, it may also be valid in some regards given the political stance on gay marriage within australia! Also once you put yourself into the public sphere and go on radio shows you open yourself up to being asked questions like this! -it doesnt mean she has to answer them!
I don’t see how asking if her male partner is gay has any relevance to marriage equality. The fact they are unmarried and she is atheist, I can see relevance in that she can have a loving committed relationship without the ‘typical’ label of marriage. She made a choice to define her relationship in a way she saw fit, why would she stop others having the same freedom of choice?
Based on the fact it is her committed partner; asking if he is gay is inappropriate period! Would you support a radio DJ asking Enda Kenny if his wife was any good in bed or if he was getting enough at home?
And there is a lot in relation to would it be different if she was male. Johnny Howard was known for power walking and wore shorts that left way too little to the imagination. While it was common enough to joke about around the water cooler and in the pub, no one judged his political ability on it. Yet Julia Gillard’s hair style, breast size and thigh size seem to keep coming up (admittedly I don’t look at the Australian news that frequently anymore, but the times I do, there is always something about her appearance that makes me uncomfortable because its not relevant to her job, I’ll admit its possible I just have strange timing).
Sally — You are spot on. Also, Adelaide is a lovely city! Hope you’re enjoying Dublin.
Im not saying that i agree with the question he asked nor am i saying that her personal life affects her ability to do her job! I am saying that once your in the public sphere people will more than likely ask them-particularly in such an intrusive media driven world!
I do have a lot of admiration for the woman and the way she conducts herself and think it is disgraceful that she was subjected to ridicule at the dinner party
Germaine Greer heads the pack with this one. “You’ve got a big arse Julia. Just get on with it.” (March 2012) And the presenter didn’t demur…
@Paul – sorry, it wasn’t meant as an attack on what you said, just this covers a few topics that really get me going.
1 the “Aussie blokes’ bloke” mentality that being a hairdresser = must be gay. I’m all for freedom of speech and not going OTT with political correctness, but media should not be saying its OK to assume someone is gay based on their occupation when we ought to be mature enough to realise it doesn’t matter a scrap to anyone.
2 I have a lot of concern at the moment of what drives people into politics. I’m concerned those with true motives who believe they can make a difference are discouraged by the fact they will be berated no matter what they do. People of higher moral ground wouldn’t put their loved ones through that – which makes me think people of higher moral ground are avoiding politics. By accepting this, or even stating ‘they chose public life and therefore this’ means that our options of who to vote for are only going to get worse. We need respect put back in the job (balanced with accountability) and attract those that deserve the respect. One way we can do that is not accept when journalists go down inappropriate roads of questioning.
3. would it have been asked of a man? We can’t sit there and say there is no difference in the workplace / politics between men and women; that women don’t take senior positions because they make different life choices; etc. This goes a way to proving how women are judged differently. Again, if we accept it by the media, we accept it in every area of life. And discouraging that treatment, is not blocking freedom of speech – the media is free to ask an equiv question of a male, and yet manages to find a reason to deem it not appropriate.
and now I have the songline “if you tolerate this, then your children will be next” in my head and it won’t go away
Must be all Aussies then if Germaine Greer made that comment , why are they so obsessed with Julia ‘s appearance ? most of them are like everyone else fairly ordinary looking …
@ Sally Aquilina
I think Paul Brennan is referring to Julia Gillard’s staunch opposition to Gay marriage. Many Gay Aussies were hopeful that she, as someone who was living in a domestic relationship, and an Atheist, would be the one who would push for Gay marriage. (She was devoid of any religious Dogma, hence why people were hopeful.)
However, despite her own wishes not to marry(and nobody will condemn her choice, or at least I won’t), which is a choice she can avail of due to her heterosexuality, those who are homosexual don’t have that choice. Their options are zero.
And she is of the opinion that ‘marriage is between a man and a woman’, which is more of a religious dogmatic view than an atheistic one. So many are disappointed.
And yes, criticising her choices is completely below the belt. Some have criticised her figure, others her shoes. And one shock jock made jokes about her father, a mere two or three weeks after his death, by saying that he ‘died of shame’ because Gillard was his daughter.
Criticise someone’s politics all you like, but for the love of God (no joke intended) don’t attack someone’s private life, or their family.
Muppet
Gillard does get asked some awkward questions, I’d love to see someone have a go at Enda like this lovely old lady did. have a look it’s very short and sweet.
A perfectly legitimate question. He has a right to ask and she has a right to pass it off. No reason for him to be sacked. He is not been nearly as discriminatory in his questioning as she is in her politics- supporting a ban on same sex marriage .
LOL
Supporting same-sex marriage is discriminatory. And in other news, black is white!
Good man Iain. You’re a star!
@Petr
He has no such thing.
Gillard is opposed to same sex marriage. Iain has pointed out the glaring hypocrisy which you, of course, failed to pick up on.
You cannot even comprehend a basic argument.
No, Pal, you are the star, a special star.
You need to read my comment again
I would sympathise but she has in the past openly admitted her opposition to same sex marriage, Australia has done very little in the way of promoting same sex rights overall. Ludicrous line of questioning though.
What this got to do with her opposition to same sex marriage.
She’s the elected head of Govt of Australia and deserved more respect than she was shown.
The asking is he gay is quite clearly ‘absurd’, as quoted. However I am making the point that for some people exactly how ‘absurd’ they would find the comment is dependent on the views they harbour.
I have great admiration for her, it was a silly question to ask, people in her position get asked all sorts of stupid questions all the time. I suppose we should send him to van diemens land for 20 years for asking a G..A…Y question, maybe hang draw and quarter him.
People get a life!!!
It’s not an issue of her partner being gay or not, it’s what does it matter to anyone what his sexual orientation is? Also the statement that if you’re a male hairdresser you must be gay is laughable. Straight or gay makes no difference, this DJ is asking personal questions that are nobodies business but their own and making huge generalisations. He’s an embarassment.
I honestly don’t give a damn about her politics or her performance as PM – I do, however, object to any opposition campaign primarily based around their contempt the existence of a female leader of country.
Your talking rubbish Jo.. There is a very good chance that Julie Bishop could attain the top job as a Liberal down the track, and nobody would begrudge her.
It’s about Gillards consistent lies to the people and her appalling attempt to run the country..
Lolz Alan
Denying people access to a civil contract that bestows special rights for 2 people (in areas such as tax, inheritance, immigration) because they are in a relationship with someone of the same gender is discriminatory yes. Therefore people like her who oppose same sex marriage are discriminatory. Absolutely. She won’t be around for much longer anyway so guess none of this matters.
Not the first time Gillard has been on the receiving end of such disrespect.
Does Australia have a problem with things like sexism and homophobia? Genuine question, I’ve been there but it was a long time ago, I presume some readers have been there recently / live there now.
Free speech will not be tolerated.
Cannot believe the people on here such as Hammy who are falling for the old misogyny crap that Gillard keeps peddling. It’s the last resort of a shot duck in a vain attempt to win an election that is over before it starts.
Like or Loath Tony Abbot, he is no hater of women. Married to a strong intelligent woman with 3 smart daughters and a formidable second in command in Julie Bishop.. He is also an active fire fighter and volunteer lifeguard.. Some Gillards cronies could take a leaf out of his book..!!
Next thing you’ll be saying that the LNP is what Australia really needs.
Settler is and always has been an idiot. Aussie radios version of Jerry Springer. What any politician with any mouse would appear on his show is beyond me… But then again it probably explains the state of our country and her leadership..
Thank Christ she and her party will be tossed out on their collective arses in September ..
Right, I’m getting my glasses out. Two of my worst typos.. Sattler not Settler and Nouse not Mouse.. Apologies to my fellow posters.. :)
As for the DJ. Does anyone take that clown seriously..?? I think not.!
But Julia Gillard gives it out too, and attempting to bring sexism into the election in September to win the women’s vote…the radio interview was disgraceful, yes, but Julia’s popularity is at an all time low, and we will probably never have the Labor party in power for at least two terms. Ireland’s parliament is amazingly courteous compared to our national parliament to Canberra. I think that that the bitterness we have in a hung parliament should mean that it should only be broadcast on TV after 9pm, Out of the reach of our young people!
Strange thing is the DJ involved in the phone call prank gets suspended and wins an award all for something that led to a death… While this event ld to sacking… Anyone ls see this as wrong?
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