Australian senator Alex Antic has accused ABC of “grooming” kids, after the public broadcaster aired a programme featuring a drag queen reading a storybook.
The South Australian Liberal senator directed the claim at the ABC’s managing director David Anderson, following the segment in well-known children’s programme Play School.
The episode featured prominent drag queen Courtney Act (aka Shane Jenek) reading a picture book called The Spectacular Suit, about a girl who doesn’t want to wear a dress on her birthday.
In the Senate Environment and Communications legislation committee yesterday, Senator Antic accused the broadcaster of “grooming Australian children” and asked why the show had been giving a G rating.
“Cross dressing. Let me ask you this, does ABC agree that transgender or cross dressing are adult concepts?” he said.
Antic’s comments were quick to be condemned by others in the room, with Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young labelling the remarks “offensive”.
“Grooming is a really serious matter. It is not for being played with by conservative senators to make headlines,” she said.
"Sexual assault survivors right around this country will be deeply offended, deeply offended by you playing politics."
The ABC’s David Anderson also said that the segment was about “dressing up" and rejected the claim the organisation was grooming children.
“I think children do dress up senator, and a story about dressing up is acceptable.”
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