Rowan Dean and Ross Cameron say ‘line was crossed’ in interview with David Leyonhjelm, but senator refuses to back down

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Sky News Outsiders program has apologised live on air for broadcasting offensive remarks about Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, but the senator who made the remarks, David Leyonhjelm, remains defiant.

Leyonhjelm appeared on both Channel Ten’s The Project and the ABC’s 7.30 on Monday evening, but refused to apologise.

“I am not apologising for anything. I stand by it. I am opposed to double standards,” Leyonhjelm said.

“I made no comment whatsoever on her private life, other than that there were two standards being applied.”

The Project (@theprojecttv) We ask why senator David Leyonhjelm won’t be apologising for his "sexist" comments and hear senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s response, explaining why she’s speaking out. #auspol #TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/KsEFBRccd6

Hanson-Young, who also appeared separately on both programs, said she would not be bullied any more by men yelling personal abuse at her across the chamber.



“I’m standing up. I’ve decided as a matter of principle, I am not going to take this,” an emotional Hanson-Young told Ten.

When Senator Leyonhjelm told me to ‘stop shagging men’, I had to speak up | Sarah Hanson-Young Read more

“Our parliament should be the pinnacle of how we engage in respectful debate, and just because you are losing an argument gives no person, whether they are a member of parliament or a commentator, or they are somebody in the privacy of backyard discussion over a barbecue, nobody has the right to treat a woman like that with such sexist slurs just because they couldn’t win the argument on sound facts.”

Outsiders hosts Rowan Dean and Ross Cameron apologised at the top of their show on Monday night for “crossing a line” in their interview with Leyonhjelm.

They said they should have immediately “disassociated” themselves from the remarks on their show on Sunday.

It is the second apology from Sky News in as many days after the News Corp-owned channel broadcast a strap which said Hanson-Young was “well known for liking men”.

Sky suspended the young producer who wrote the strap even though she was reflecting what the hosts said.

Laura Tingle (@latingle) 25 year old woman gets suspended not the misogynists what a joke https://t.co/277DDj7T9f

“This program is called Outsiders, it is the name of the program,” Dean said. “We tackle issues and stories the mainstream media tends to avoid with observations that are not always popular, are sometimes controversial, often firey, but we hope informative. It’s what you’ve come to expect from us. We take a great deal of pride in delivering this content and plan to keep doing so for many years to come. But there is a line that should not be crossed and yesterday that line was crossed.”



Earlier on Monday Hanson-Young said she was taking legal advice, and followed up by announcing on The Project she had retained Rebekah Giles of the law firm Kennedys to act for her.

In a statement on Monday morning she said Leyonhjelm was unfit to remain in the Senate.

“I believe he has proven himself incapable of showing respect and is unfit to represent not only women, but all decent Australians, in our nation’s parliament.

“I will not be intimidated or bullied by offensive and sexist slurs on my professional reputation,” Hanson-Young said.