Penny Wong stated that it is “unsurprising” for Peter Dutton to employ a historical slur to criticize Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s response to China, considering Dutton’s opposition to marriage equality.

A Dutton spokesperson released a statement saying, “It was a phrase that shouldn’t have been used, and no offense was intended by Mr Dutton.”

During an event in Sydney, Dutton was asked about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s potential message to Australia with military drills in Australian waters. He agreed with the event host that it was a “show of force” before criticizing Albanese.

Dutton described Albanese’s response as “the weakest, most limp-wrist response you could see from a leader.”

The term “limp-wrist” has historically been a slur against gay men. Penny Wong defended Albanese and noted that Dutton’s choice of language was unsurprising given his opposition to marriage equality.

Allegra Spender, an independent MP, also criticized Dutton’s language as “completely inappropriate” and “offensive to many in the LGBTQ+ community.”

Rodney Croome, a spokesperson for Just.Equal Australia, condemned Dutton’s use of the term as a “derogatory term for gay men” and suggested it may be perceived as a “Trump-style dog whistle to homophobic prejudice.” Croome called on Dutton to apologize and commit to a non-prejudiced election campaign.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/20/dutton-calling-albanese-limp-wristed-over-chinese-ships-unsurprising-wong-says-ntwnfb