Riverina MP Michael McCormack’s confrontation with a patron was caught on video. Photo: Sky News.
Member for Riverina Michael McCormack says he may have been mistaken for a government MP while trying to calm an unruly patron he said was hurling abuse about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outside a Canberra club on State of Origin night.
Sky News journalist Andrew Clennell videoed the incident and it was shared widely on social media. It shows the former deputy prime minister outside Eastlake Football Club repeatedly telling a man to “calm down”.
Mr McCormack was at the venue with fellow Coalition MPs watching NSW’s stunning comeback win over Queensland on Wednesday night when trouble allegedly began inside the club.
“This guy was totally out of control,” he told Sky News.
“I asked staff to remove him at half-time. At the end of the game he was threatening to expose himself in the club. I said to club management … ‘You need to throw that bloke out. If that bloke shouldn’t be thrown out, then who should be thrown out?’”
He said the confrontation continued outside, where another man allegedly became verbally aggressive and threatened to urinate near the entrance.
“I said, ‘Mate, there’s women going to come out of the club,’” McCormack said.
“Being a country gentleman — I hadn’t had a drink all night; I had a hot chocolate and a ginger ale. I said you can’t do that here.”
Mr McCormack said it was wrong to shout abuse about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
The Riverina MP said the man was yelling obscenities about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and may have mistaken him for a Labor politician and been a tradie upset with the Federal Budget.
Asked whether he feared the confrontation could turn physical, he described it as an “awkward, ugly situation”.
“I’m glad it did de-escalate,” he said.
Mr McCormack said he noticed Sky News journalist Andrew Clennell filming the exchange and, as a former newspaper editor himself, said he would’ve done the same.
Mr Clennell later praised the former deputy prime minister’s handling of the incident, saying the MP didn’t take a backward step.
With some rugby league humour, McCormack said the altercation could have ended up “like Queensland on the night” – starting well but ending badly.
Despite the confrontation, he said he would intervene again if faced with similar behaviour.
“The standard you walk past is the standard you set,” he said.
“If you let that behaviour go unchallenged whether drunk or not it’s the behaviour you accept and behaviour you tolerate. Men should step up and speak out when it’s shown in public.”
Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.
