Connie Bonaros MLC has sparked debate during the South Australian election campaign after using a Greek insult to criticise One Nation leader Cory Bernardi over controversial comments about same-sex marriage.
Speaking during a public exchange on the issue, Bonaros condemned Bernardi’s stance and accused him of making remarks she said were divisive.
“Can I start by saying this: there is a special Greek word for people like Cory Bernardi and the repugnant and vile views that he has shared – and that word is malaka,” Bonaros said.
She added that if Bernardi did not understand the meaning of the term, “he should go and find himself a Greek dictionary.”
Bonaros also criticised both Bernardi and One Nation founder Pauline Hanson, arguing that their rhetoric throughout the campaign risked alienating minority communities.
“I don’t know who we are going to offend next. Is it Australian Indians? Is it Australian Greeks? Is it Australian Vietnamese people? Is it women?” Bonaros said.
“Cory and Pauline Hanson are both cut from the same mean-spirited cloth, and they should both be equally ashamed of what they’ve said.”
“Not who we are in South Australia”
Bonaros said she was angered by Bernardi’s decision to stand by controversial remarks he made more than a decade ago during the national debate over marriage equality.
At the time, Bernardi argued that changing the definition of marriage could lead to calls for recognition of other types of relationships, including polygamy – comments that drew significant criticism.
“Cory should be ashamed of himself for doubling down on the comments that he made 14 years ago,” Bonaros said.
“That is not who we are in South Australia. I’m not going to stand for it.”
She also criticised the state’s major parties for what she described as their silence on the issue.
“I’m not going to sit here like the major parties and stay silent when we have two people spreading the sort of hate, division and fear that we are seeing from the likes of Cory Bernardi and Pauline Hanson,” she said.
“Nobody should tolerate that.”
Debate amid election campaign
The exchange comes as South Australia heads into an election campaign in which immigration, social issues and cultural identity have again emerged as points of political debate.
Bonaros argued that political leaders had a responsibility to defend minority communities.
“There are minority groups in South Australia today who are feeling unrepresented and unheard, and we should all be ashamed of ourselves if we are not willing to call that out,” she said.
“This is not about the left or right of politics. This is about common decency.”
