Tanya Plibersek caught on hot mic: 'Don't say anything horrible about James Paterson'

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was heard saying: "Don’t say anything horrible" about a Liberal senator, and "Get out of my way" in a live television moment gone wrong.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek was caught on a live microphone talking about Senator James Paterson in an awkward television broadcast. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Key Points

• Labor minister Tanya Plibersek was caught in a live hot mic moment on Sky News.
• Plibersek was heard saying: "Don't say anything horrible about James Paterson".
• Her comments cut off Paterson, who was on-screen.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has been caught talking about Opposition home affairs spokesperson James Paterson in a live microphone mishap during a Sky News television segment.

Plibersek was heard saying "Don't say anything horrible about James Paterson" and "Get out of my way" in audio that ran on top of a live interview with Paterson on Thursday morning. The context of the latter remark is unclear.

Paterson was responding to questions about a Hamas-themed cake baked for a four-year-old's birthday that had been referred to the Australian Federal Police, when he was interrupted by Plibersek's microphone off-screen.

"It is a crime to glorify a listed terrorist in this country like Hamas, I'm not sure whether the cake meets that threshold," Paterson said, before being cut off by Plibersek's remark on not saying anything horrible about him.

Opposition home affairs spokesperson James Paterson laughed as Labor Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek cut him off saying 'Don't say anything horrible about James Paterson' in a live television mix-up. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

"I can hear Tanya Plibersek in the background there," Paterson said, laughing, as the Sky host Tom Connell said: "We've had a little bit of a rogue microphone moment."

As Plibersek said "Get out of my way", the host said: "She's coming in soon, not yet."

Connell asked Paterson a final question about a man who was released from immigration detention and later charged with murder.

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The segment then cut to Plibersek, this time on screen discussing the push to ban 14 and 15-year-olds from social media. She also talked about nuclear energy in Australia.

SBS News has contacted Plibersek's office for comment.

Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, which has gained power in the Gaza Strip since winning legislative elections there in 2006. Its stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel's right to exist.

Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. New Zealand and Paraguay list only its military wing as a terrorist group. In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly voted against a resolution condemning Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.