A Labor MP has accused female Liberal politicians of "screaming and screeching" in South Australian parliament, describing it as a workplace health and safety issue in an exchange that left the women questioning whether the same accusation would have been made of a man.
During question time in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Attorney-General Kyam Maher was speaking, to loud interjections from the opposition benches.
Backbench MP Russell Wortley interrupted the exchange to complain to Legislative Council President Terry Stephens about the noise.
"There is definitely a health and safety issue here. I happen to sit across the aisle here from the three on the opposition benches and very often through screaming and the screeching, I can't hear myself," Mr Wortley said.
"I would like to request that you and the clerk get together and work out a way that we can measure the decibels that's come from this place to here. It's a health and safety issue."
Mr Stephens ordered Mr Wortley to sit down.
"That is not a point of order," he said.
Among the Liberal MPs sitting opposite Mr Wortley are Heidi Girolamo, Nicola Centofanti and Laura Curran.
Later in question time Ms Girolamo rose and asked Mr Wortley to "withdraw and apologise for his comments about my colleagues and I".
"I query whether he would characterise a male member of the parliament in this manner using words such as screeching, or decibels or OH&S issues is highly offensive, and I ask you to withdraw and apologise immediately," she said.
But Mr Wortley responded, denying the suggestion.
"This shouldn't be a gender issue. This is a health and safety issue," he said.
"If there were three males over there screeching in such a high pitch voice, I'd say the same thing."
In the following day's question time, Liberal MP Dennis Hood pointed out Labor MPs were also being noisy.
"I can't hear over the noise that's coming from the other side. It's quite extraordinary," Mr Hood said.
His Liberal colleague Ben Hood interjected, making reference to Mr Wortley's accusation.
"The screeching from the other side," he said.
The Liberal Party has been criticised for its lack of women in parliament, but that deficit is only in the lower house.
In the Legislative Council, there are five Liberal women and three Liberal men.
While Labor has a record number of women in parliament, in the Legislative Council it has three female MPs and six male MPs.
