The deputy leader of the National Party Perin Davey has admitted she drank alcohol before making a rambling statement at a late-night Senate committee meeting – despite her office earlier insisting she was just ‘passionate’ during the appearance.
Footage of Ms Davey during the meeting last Tuesday night in Canberra has been widely shared on social media and shows her slurring while speaking about arts funding during the Environment and Communications Estimates Committee meeting.
Ms Davey told Sky News on Saturday she’d had a couple of glasses of red wine before the meeting.
‘I went to the Nationals staff drinks that were on Tuesday night,’ Ms Davey confirmed.
‘I don’t think I was drunk.’
When contacted by Daily Mail during the week, a spokesperson for Ms Davey argued she had merely been displaying her passion for the arts.
Ms Davey had struggled to articulate her concerns about funding for the Major Performing Arts (MPAs) sector at the meeting.
‘The MPAs are still getting their funding which is good, cos they deserve it. Let me take nothing away. They, they absolutely, you know, this is, this is n culture,’ Ms Davey rambled during her speech.
‘When it comes to program funding, are we still having program funding, outside the four year model and outside the MPA model, are we still seeing program funding?
‘Or, do we have, segregated out, the MPA you’ve got your funding, go and do your arts – we love you – and then small to mediums and others, and accepting others have four year funding and that helps with their core business model, but all of the rest of you fight against each other but they’re no longer fighting against the MPAs.’
When contacted by Daily Mail during the week, a spokesperson for Ms Davey argued she had merely been displaying her passion for the arts
A Labor insider asked what point Ms Davey was trying to make in her long-winded statement. ‘If I went to a meeting like that, I’d be asked to go home and rest,’ the source – who watched the situation unfold – told Daily Mail
Earlier, a Labor insider asked what point Ms Davey was trying to make in her long-winded statement.
‘If I went to a meeting like that, I’d be asked to go home and rest,’ the source – who watched the situation unfold – told Daily Mail .
In response the spokesperson for Ms Davey had earlier insisted the senator was coherent throughout the hearing and slammed the criticism as ‘pathetic’.
‘Senator Davey is very passionate about arts funding in the regions and has been pushing for a greater slice of the arts and cultural budgets for regional ever since she arrived in Parliament.
It’s understood a long-term medical condition may have contributed to the incident.
The senator’s questions and statements flowed better earlier in the committee hearing and during a Sky News interview that same day.
Labor-aligned advertising guru Dee Madigan also shared footage of Ms Davey to X with the caption ‘Compare the pair. 3 hours apart.’
In that TV interview, Ms Davey discussed the High Court decision that saw 149 asylum seekers – some charged with serious crimes – released into the community.
During the interview, the NSW senator effectively criticised the Albanese government’s handling of the crisis, arguing that Labor was ‘forewarned’ about the worst case scenario and reacted in an ‘arrogant’ manner.
Daily Mail has contacted Senator Davey for comment.