Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says she was sworn at in parliament by Liberal Democrat after confronting him over insult

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has accused senator David Leyonhjelm of telling her to “stop shagging men” during a debate about women and violence, and then swearing at her when she confronted him.

Senator Hanson-Young told parliament the Liberal Democrats senator made the remark on the floor of the upper house during a division on a motion about arming women with tasers to combat violence.



“I asked whether I heard him correctly. He confirmed he yelled ‘you should stop shagging men, Sarah’,” Hanson-Young said.



“Shocked, I told him he was a creep. His reply was to tell me to ‘f... off’.”



She said Leyonhjelm refused to apologise for the comments, which she says are offensive and sexist.



Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, approached Senate president Scott Ryan over the incident.



Sarah Hanson-Young💚 (@sarahinthesen8) I have formally put this event on the record in the Senate and asked Senator Leyonhjelm to withdraw his comment and apologise directly.

Later Leyonhjelm confirmed his words but denied he shouted them out.

He said he was responding to Senator Hanson-Young’s interjection in the debate, which he claimed was “along the lines of all men being rapists”.



“I responded by suggesting that if this was the case she should stop shagging men. I did not yell at her,” Leyonhjelm said.



“Following the division, Senator Hanson-Young approached me and called me a creep. I told her to f*** off.”



He said if the Greens senator took offence, it was an issue for her.



“I am prepared to rephrase my comments. I strongly urge Senator Hanson-Young to continue shagging men as she pleases,” Senator Leyonhjelm said.



Katter’s Australia party senator Fraser Anning moved a motion in the Senate on Thursday calling on the government to relax import laws for the weapons in response to horrific crimes against women.



He wants state governments to legalise and promote the carrying of pepper spray, mace and tasers by women for “political protection”.



Greens senator Janet Rice slammed Anning’s “blundering, ill-conceived” motion.



“The last thing that women in Australia need now is another man in power telling us that we are responsible for violence against us,” Rice told parliament.



She said he was putting the onus on women to go to extreme lengths to combat violence rather than addressing men’s crimes.



Senator James McGrath said the government had no plans to relax weapons importation laws, while the opposition also opposed the idea.



“It is ludicrous to suggest that more weapons will make women safer,” Labor’s Anthony Chisholm said.



The motion was defeated 46-5, with Leyonhjelm, Anning, One Nation’s Peter Georgiou, Cory Bernardi and Brian Burston the only supporters.