Overview
- Asked if she would join The Nationals, Liberal senator Jane Hume joked she was "too fond of good coffee and free markets" and said she would have to "speak slower" if she switched.
- Sunrise host Nat Barr covered her face with papers in reaction to the roast before moving on with the segment.
- The exchange followed a segment on a Deloitte report found to be at least partly AI-generated, with the show noting Deloitte repaid less than a quarter of the $440,000 fee and Hume calling it "cheating on its homework."
- Hume’s comments came after Nationals leader David Littleproud said colleagues were welcome to join his party, while media reports have suggested some Liberal backbenchers are considering defection without confirmation.
- Labor’s Kristy McBain criticised Hume’s remarks as insulting to regional Australia, while Hume’s office said she was teasing Coalition colleagues and the senator responded with further light-hearted comments about coffee.