Anne Aly accuses Liberal MP of racism after 'stoning' comment

In short: 

Liberal MP Angie Bell has suggested Small Business Minister Anne Aly and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should be publicly "shamed and stoned".

Ms Bell made the remarks while delivering a speech in parliament backing a Coalition bill to reverse the ATO's ban on credit card payments.

What's next?

Ms Bell has withdrawn the comments, but Ms Aly has described the remarks as racist, misogynistic, and contrary to Australian values.

Small Business Minister Anne Aly has accused a Liberal MP of making racist and misogynistic comments in parliament, saying they are contrary to Australian values.

During a fiery speech in the lower house, shadow minister Angie Bell called for the prime minister and Ms Aly to be "shamed and stoned in the square" over the tax office's decision to ban credit card payments.

The ban has sparked backlash from the business community, with the government last week intervening to ensure the ATO delays the measure until July next year.

In her speech to parliament, Ms Bell, who holds the arts and sport portfolios on the opposition frontbench, called on the government to overturn the credit card ban.

"We're talking about millions and millions of Australians who are employed by small business," Ms Bell said.

"And this minister and this prime minister should be absolutely shamed and stoned in the square."

Ms Bell subsequently withdrew the comments after Leader of the House Tony Burke raised concerns with what he described as "some physically violent imagery".

Ms Aly, the first Muslim woman elected to federal parliament, later posted a video on social media, describing Ms Bell's comments as racist and misogynistic.

"This past week alone, I have had 19 death threats on my social media, and in the past I have had death threats that are couched in that exact same language," she said in a video posted to Instagram and TikTok.

"It's not just something that a parliamentarian shouldn't say in terms of advocating violence against another parliamentarian.

"It is something that stands against our Australian values. We are a country that proudly stands against violence against women, and against regimes that use brutal methods like stoning against women."

A spokesperson for Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said it was appropriate that Ms Bell had withdrawn the remarks.

But they also demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese show the same accountability, referring to comments he made earlier this year about melons being gifted to him by the Japanese prime minister.

"Australians are still waiting for him to apologise to Japan's prime minister and [for] his own litany of broken promises," they said.

"The prime minister cannot demand accountability from others while refusing to take responsibility for his own failures."

Speaking on Afternoon Briefing, Shadow Foreign Minister Ted O'Brien also said Ms Bell did "the right thing" by withdrawing the remarks.

He also praised her as someone who is doing a "wonderful job" on the frontbench and as a local member in her Gold Coast electorate of Moncrieff.