Liberal VP told she's 'living in a bubble' after saying Jacinda Ardern is copying Aussies. / ABC Q&A
Liberal Party Federal Vice-President Teena McQueen was mocked by fellow TV panellists and the audience after claiming on Australian TV that Jacinda Ardern is merely "copying" that country's gun control policies.
McQueen was laughed at by panellists and described as a "parody account" by viewers after also claiming that "Milo Yiannopoulos is an entertainer" and white supremacy is "not growing" in Australia.
McQueen was also told she lives "in a bubble" by author Roxanne Gay on Monday night's Q&A TV show in Australia.
She also took aim at New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, saying the leader — who has been seen as a fresh face of compassion by many following the Christchurch shooting — is merely "copying" the Liberal Party in Australia.
When asked about the gun-law crackdown by the New Zealand PM, McQueen retorted: "We did that years ago. The Liberal Party did that years ago with John Howard."
Some audience members could be heard falling about themselves laughing.
Liberal Party Federal Vice-President Teena McQueen says Jacinda Ardern is just copying John Howard. Photo / AP
"You think that's funny? John Howard did do that. Jacinda Ardern is copying exactly," McQueen responded to the roars of laughter.
She even poured cold water on Ardern's leadership, saying: "Can I also remind you, Jacinda Ardern is only there because she formed an alliance with Winston Peters (NZ's Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the nationalist New Zealand First party)? I think everyone forgets that little fact."
Before all this, McQueen began the programme by defending US President Donald Trump, but it didn't take long for the numbers to form against her.
Discussing a new report that found no evidence Trump colluded with Russia during his election campaign, Gay said the president "can barely spell collusion".
But McQueen rushed to Trump's defence.
"Well, he's been exonerated," she said, even though he hasn't. "There's nothing there. I mean, it's two years of wasted presidency, two years of the Democrats going crazy and, you know, he did nothing to interfere with the report."
Doubt the Liberals will let Teena McQueen on the airwaves ever again. Tanking. #QandA
McQueen noted that she was "probably the only person on the panel that's spent time with Donald Trump" — a reference to the pair's brief meeting when the billionaire businessman was running Miss Universe pageants.
"He was none of those things — he was not racist, not sexist, none of those things," she said.
Gay told her that "just because you didn't have an experience with him doesn't mean he hasn't done these terrible things".
McQueen then defended the Trump's now infamous "grab her by the p***y" remarks.
"I just made a joke about a cock earlier on," she said. "I don't think there's much difference there."
"A joke versus grabbing a woman (and) talking about sexual assault are two very different things. I joke about bodies constantly, it's awesome, but I'm not going to talk about grabbing a woman's body just because I have an attraction to her. It's called self-control."
'Milo is an entertainer'
McQueen later defended YouTube sensation turned political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, who was earlier this month banned from Australia because of hateful comments.
Discussing free speech in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, McQueen said "I class him as an entertainer".
"No one could possibly take Milo seriously," she said.
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi shot back: "For once, listen to what the Muslim community is saying."
Gay said, "Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States take Milo seriously."
"They follow him. They pay money to go see him speak."
McQueen said the "worst hate speech I've heard recently is (from Greens Leader) Richard Di Natale".
She suggested Di Natale had engaged in hate speech and "incited violence" against News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt, a claim Bolt himself put to Di Natale on his show last week.
"The vile language used against conservatives is disgraceful," she began before Labor MP Tony Burke interjected.
"I am going to defend Richard Di Natale in this, absolutely … To imply that somebody who is standing up against racism is guilty of the same sort of hate speech as the people who have allowed the hatred that we've seen in the last couple of weeks to fester and to have a base and be legitimised by so many people — it just doesn't add up," he said.
'You are in a bubble'
McQueen was laughed at by a questioner and by Gay when the topic of racism came up. Adelaide woman Latoya Rule posed the question to the panel about white supremacy finding a home in suburban South Australia.
"As a resident of Adelaide, I'm worried about the rise of Neo-Nazism around our city," she said.
"From swastikas, 'It's OK To Be White' posters with razor blades behind them, and graffiti which stated 'No n******, kill them,' the terror of white supremacy and Neo-Nazism is very much alive here."
Liberal vice-president Teena McQueen's comments about white supremacy in Australia got a laugh from author Roxanne Gay. Photo / ABC
But McQueen said the conversation was "reaching fever pitch" and the solution was a divvy van.
"I mean, if things like that are happening in Adelaide, you call the police and you get these people dealt with and carted away," she said.
"I've been to Adelaide many times, and I'm not doubting the questioner there, but if you see evidence of something like that, there's laws to protect people from that, and you get them carted off and deal with them.
"You know, perhaps I'm in a bubble — I don't see the growth of white supremacists that I hear constantly."
As the studio audience let out a collective groan, Ms McQueen told them "you can laugh if you like, but I just don't".
Gay responded: "You are in a bubble."
Faruqi told her the Liberal Party "have not dealt with it" and instead "lined up and shook hands with Pauline Hanson after she did her hateful Islamophobe speech".
McQueen shot back: "I'm not going to be lectured by Greens, let me tell you."
The social media response to McQueen's appearance on the show included plenty of this:
Teena McQueen... is a parody account, right? Like, if the seat of Waringah gained sentience and bought a blazer, right? #qanda
Australia exported a white terrorist from Grafton NSW to Chistchurch NZ & Teena McQueen VP LNP says there's no white supremacy in Aus just "nutters". She has seen no extremism 🤯 don't worry call the police if you feel threatened. Police arrived in 6mins in NZ #qanda 50 ppl died
.@QandA has been on TV for 11 years now. I worked on the program for a couple of those years. Teena McQueen's tanking is among the most spectacular I've seen on this show. #qanda
