Bill Shorten's mortifying moment: "You've humiliated me"
When you’re the leader of the opposition, the moments you get to spend out of the public eye are few and far between, which is something your family just has to learn to live with. But it’s not always easy, as Bill Shorten revealed to GQ, who said one candid moment on live radio left his daughter telling the pollie, "You've humiliated me!"
The Labor leader was all over social media last year after facing off in a rap battle with radio host Ray Hadley on the Fitzy and Wippa radio show. Shorten admitted that while he didn’t mind the embarrassment, his children certainly did.
“It’s bloody tough for the kids,” he said.
“Families are not for the faint-hearted. But is it worthwhile? Absolutely. My kids have taught me more than I’ve taught them, I suspect.”
“I spend a lot of my time thinking about my kids. I don’t think the public really know that. I can take pleasure in small things, too. I don’t need expensive cars or overseas trips. For me, summer’s wearing shorts and not having to put on a suit or tie.”
In the far-reaching interview Shorten touched on a lot of topics.
“My loyalties are to my family, the nation and my party — in that order. Personalities and egos can never get so out of whack that they stop you governing and following the interests of your people,” he said.
“I don’t think 2017 was the best year for Australian politics. A third of Australians don’t want to vote for major parties. There’s a message in that for all of us. I share some of the responsibility for the year that was. We got consumed into issues that the politicians thought were important, but don’t speak to the lives of people. If there’s one thing I’d like at the end of my time in politics, it’s for people to come up and say, ‘You weren’t just in it for yourself’.”
What do you make of the interview?