MARANOA MP David Littleproud is calling for families to be kept out of the argy-bargy of politics.
Speaking on AM Agenda, Mr Littleproud has had his say on the issue, which has flared after controversy in relation to One Nation’s Paul Hanson and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in which the PM’s mother came under scrutiny for living in public housing for much of her life in Sydney’s inner-west.
“I think the first rule down here is families are off limits. They are actually conscriptes to to this profession, and they come with us on a journey. And it’s hard enough as it is. I don’t think it’s it’s wise to open up that can of worms of us attacking one another’s family. I think we should be bigger than that,” he said.
“I think you need to play the ball, not the man, and that’s the way I’ve tried to play politics down here. And I think we all should. I think Australians want us to be focused on that because then invariably we’re focused on them, not on ourselves and each other. And I think that’s what they’re looking for: is out of their political class is a level of maturity and professionalism that focuses on that ball, not on the man.
“And I just think that you know, once you start opening up that, well, your family’s fair game as well. And I think we go down a slippery slope that I don’t think anyone in this country wants to see. They’ve got enough problems and challenges watching us now, and they you know they don’t like any of us at the moment, and this doesn’t help any of us.
“It’s a pox on everyone’s house when you start attacking each other’s family. We’ve got to be better than that. We’ve just got to focus on the Australian people.”
Despite copping an avalanche of criticism, Mr Littleproud’s former Coalition colleague and now political arch nemesis, One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce, a former Queensland Senator for the Nationals and one-time Deputy PM, has come out in support of his boss, telling Channel 7 that the PM’s story “doesn’t wash”.
“The log cabin story of living in a housing commission home that the Prime Minister rolls out over and over again for a person who owns multiple houses….it just doesn’t wash,” said Mr Joyce, who worked in finance in Charleville when Mr Littleproud also worked and resided in the same town.
In a further twist to this story, Senator Hanson has since apologised to the PM for her comments, made during a podcast recorded early this year.
The controversial politician has also apologised for comments relating to First Nations people, whom she described as “primative”.
Senator Hanson’s remarks in that space prompted a strong rebuke from 4RR-FM’s morning show presenter and proud Bidjara man Luke Robinson.
He referred to her comments as “disgraceful” during his LIVE show today from our Charleville studio.
POSTED: Tuesday, September 15, 2026