The Nationals deputy leader, Perin Davey, says a medical incident almost five years earlier is behind an incident at a Senate estimates hearing where she appeared to slur and stumble over words.
The Coalition frontbencher, who admitted to having two wines before the incident but insists she was not inebriated, also said she felt personally attacked and claimed someone “selectively” clipped a video of her appearance to imply she had been incoherent throughout the hearing.
It is the second time this month a member of the Nationals has been in the spotlight for appearing to be under the influence of alcohol and comes as a cross-party taskforce of politicians recommends new rules to prevent members and senators from being adversely affected by drugs and alcohol while on the job.
Earlier this month, the shadow veterans affairs minister and former deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, was filmed lying down on a Canberra pavement while uttering profanities into his phone. The party’s leader, David Littleproud, asked Joyce to take personal leave. Joyce has denied he had a problem with alcohol and said the issue was that he had mixed alcohol and prescription drugs.
Davey told Bathurst radio station 2BS on Tuesday she was not drunk at the late-night Senate estimates hearing but had drunk two glasses of wine.
She said her apparent slurring was the result of two emergency operations and an 11-day stint in hospital after an abscess erupted behind her tonsils in 2019. The incident had left her with ongoing speech challenges, she said.
“I acknowledge when I’m tired or if I’ve had a glass of wine, or if I’m stressed, my throat catches, I can, sometimes a bit of mucus will fall down my throat and I’ll have a coughing fit, sometimes I slur words,” Davey said.
“It’s something that I’ve never talked about because I’ve always thought it’s personal. But I also didn’t think that the way I delivered what I was saying mattered, it was more important what I was saying.”
Davey explained she had been “so happy” with her line of questioning against officials from Creative Australia but became “distraught” after media later reported she appeared incoherent and had uncovered other videos of the senator appearing to slur her words.
“Then to just have someone selectively clip the video to make it focus on words that I’m stumbling over and imply that I was incoherent through the whole thing, I’m just distraught about,” she said.
“I’m a very theatrical speaker and I wanted to be an actress. I do gesticulate when I’m passionate about things, and my throat catches, and I stumble over words, and earlier in the morning, I’m clearer than I am late at night.
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“That’s got nothing to do with alcohol consumption.”
Parliament’s new independent human resources body is considering the best way to implement new rules to stop politicians from being under the influence of alcohol and drugs while on the job.
A submission by the parliamentary leadership taskforce, whose membership includes Davey, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, and Warringah MP Zali Steggall, recommended politicians should be free from impairment while conducting official duties and that disciplinary action be taken for any breaches.
The taskforce is also overseeing a broader suite of measures to improve the building’s workplace culture.
Steggall told Guardian Australia the introduction of random drug and alcohol testing within Parliament House was necessary to drive change. The proposal has been rejected by Anthony Albanese.
