Greens MP Stephen Bates wants Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to apologise for pronoun joke

Greens MP Stephen Bates has asked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to apologise after he joked about Peter Dutton's use of pronouns in Question Time on Wednesday.

The comment came after Liberal MP Angie Bell raised a point of order saying Mr Albanese was referring to Mr Dutton as "he" in answer to a question. Parliamentarians are typically expected to address one another by their titles.

Mr Albanese then joked: "Anything is possible on that side, I didn't know he was a 'they', but anything is possible."

Mr Bates, who is the Greens' LGBTIQA+ spokesperson, posted on the social media platform X: "No, Albo, we aren't going to make jokes at the expense of the LGBTIQA+ community.

"The PM should be better than this and should apologise."

Mr Bates told the ABC the joke was "tasteless and unnecessary".

"He needs to remember he's not a backbencher. He sets the tone of conversation in the country, and if I was watching that as a young queer person on TV it really sets in your mind, 'Oh, I can't be honest about who I am. It sets you back.'"

The prime minister's office has been contacted for comment.

Labor MP downplays significance of remark

Asked about the comments, Labor MP Kate Thwaites told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing she did not think Mr Albanese was making a joke about gender neutral pronouns.

"That wasn't the sense I got from being in the room ... It was a procedural piece. I might need to brush up on my standing orders, I don't know whether 'he', 'they' or 'she' count as [formal] titles or not."

Liberal MP Keith Wolahan said he "didn't read anything into what the prime minister did", but also added that the reactions of backbenchers sitting behind the Mr Albanese "gave the game away".

Leader of the House Tony Burke appeared to furrow his brow after the joke was made.

Mr Wolahan suggested anyone who would be offended if Mr Dutton had made a similar comment should "be consistent".

"The point that should be made is that Australians expect a sense of decorum and professionalism in the House. No-one has clean hands for that."

'It's 2024': Bates says apology would be a chance to learn

Mr Bates told the ABC he was "caught very off guard" by the joke.

"It's 2024, we're supposed to have moved past these culture wars and we're supposed to be in a progressive space in politics in this country where our leaders respect us in the queer community."

Mr Albanese has spoken often about his commitment to inclusivity, saying at last year's Sydney Mardi Gras "people want to see that their government is inclusive and represents everyone, no matter who they love, no matter what their identity, no matter where they live".

Mr Bates said being "an ally" to the LGBTIQA+ community meant "owning up and understanding when people in the queer community say that a joke is inappropriate, that you apologise and don't do it again".

The joke comes as the government appears to have stalled its plans to simultaneously introduce protections for transgender staff and students at religious schools and legal protections for religious beliefs.

Earlier this year, Mr Albanese said the government would not progress that legislation until it had the Coalition's approval for a proposal. That proposal has not yet been published.

Last week, a spokesperson for Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the lack of progress was because the government was still awaiting a response from the Coalition, but opposition minister Michaelia Cash said the Coalition had been clear it viewed the proposal as "inadequate".