One of the Albanese government’s most senior minister has slammed a widely-panned skit seemingly denoting violence against mining magnate Gina Rinehart as “rubbish” and “pretty revolting”.The four-minute clip aired three weeks ago on the ABC’s Race Around The World series.The segment ended with the voiceover message: “When the revolution comes, will you hide under the bed or will you know exactly how to shove a stick right up Gina Rinehart’s butthole, stirring it round, mixing her guts up nice and smooth, to make one big sausage roll to make something out of nothing”.Mrs Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has sent legal letters to the national broadcaster. The ABC initially stood behind the program, but has since referred it to their internal Ombudsman.On Sunday, Health Minister Mark Butler called out the program.While he admitted to not having seen the “skit”, Mr Butler said he had read reports about “the particular passage in it that people are offended by and it’s pretty revolting”.“It’s not the sort of thing I think we should see on TV, whether it’s News24, a commercial television station, or our public broadcaster,” he told News24.“Frankly, I understand the ombudsman within the ABC is investigating it. That’s appropriate at an independent public broadcaster. “But, you know, why do we have to see rubbish like this on our TVs? Regardless of who it’s about.“I have seen coverage of this episode, I understand the person responsible for it has apologised, but, at the end of the day, this sort of material shouldn’t be on our TVs.”The creator of the segment, contestant Kate McGuinness, apologised via the ABC on Thursday afternoon, saying she had no intention to incite violence and that here writing was “cartoonish and always satirical”.“Unfortunately, jokes do not land with everyone. Its purpose was never to be taken literally. I apologise to anyone I’ve offended,” she said.The ABC initially stood behind the programming, claiming it was “editorially justifiable”, but have since referred the matter to their internal Ombudsman.On Friday, Mrs Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting sent legal letters to ABC listing a series of civil and criminal breaches they claim arise from the segment and its airing.The company previously wrote to the ABC board a week earlier, requesting the segment be removed, a public apology be made, and an investigation into how it was able to be published be commissioned.“One week later, the ABC’s board and senior management have provided no substantive public response, nor any substantive response to Hancock or Mrs Rinehart, and have taken no steps to remove the material from ABC platforms, despite widespread public condemnation and the serious risks its publication and continued publication pose to Mrs Rinehart,” the statement read.“Hancock has now formally placed ABC chair Kim Williams AM, deputy chair Lisa Caffery and managing director Hugh Marks on notice of detailed allegations of serious contraventions of multiple Australian criminal and civil laws arising from the ABC’s publication and continued publication of the material.”Communications Minister Anika Wells condemned the segment on Wednesday as “unacceptable”.“Like any Australian, there’s stuff I see on TV that I don’t agree with,” she said.
‘Rubbish’: Labor MP lashes ABC Gina skit
One of the Albanese government’s most senior minister has slammed a widely-panned skit seemingly denoting violence against mining magnate Gina Rinehart as “rubbish” and “pretty revolting”.







