QLD:Langbroek draws ire of first female PM

AAP General News (Australia)
12-03-2010
QLD:Langbroek draws ire of first female PM

By Jessica Marszalek

BRISBANE, Dec 3 AAP - Queensland opposition leader John-Paul Langbroek has earned himself
a rebuke from Prime Minister Julie Gillard, who says his comments about working women
belong in the last century.

Mr Langbroek drew the ire of the first female prime minister while speaking of his
famous broadcaster sister Kate Langbroek in an interview with Brisbane News magazine.

"She is forthright with her opinions," he said of his sister.

"Along with Gretel Killeen and Wendy Harmer, she's forged the way for intelligent women
to express themselves.

"Kate is one of a handful of women in the public eye who've built a career based on
their intelligence, not just being pretty."

Ms Gillard said his comments were plain wrong.

"Can I say in relation to those comments every day I go around this country, I meet
fantastic women who are doing amazing things using their intelligence and using their
capacity for hard work," she told reporters north of Brisbane on Friday.

"Look, I think they're not right for the 21st century, I think they're a bit of a throw
back in time."

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, who was with Ms Gillard to sign an agreement to build
a Redcliffe rail line, was similarly unimpressed.

"I think that with these comments, John-Paul Langbroek has managed to single-handedly
insult every woman in Australia," she said.

"My experience is that Australian women and Australian men get success in life through
hard work, intelligence and perseverance and I think these sorts of comments, frankly,
belong in the last century."

She said women worked just as hard as men in all fields and it was not easy to get
to the top in any field.

But Mr Langbroek, who has been in the media for his own good looks in the past, said
Labor was twisting his words for political opportunity.

He said he was merely paying tribute to his trail-blazing sister who had copped criticism
for her looks when she first appeared on television.

"There's no doubt that on television 20 years ago it wasn't so much about what you
said but what you looked like (for women)," Mr Langbroek told AAP.

That was fortunately no longer the case, he said.

He said he was "perplexed" Ms Gillard would try to turn a positive magazine article
into a negative issue.

AAP jmm/msk

KEYWORD: LANGBROEK GILLARD

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