NSW Roads and Ports Minister Duncan Gay has denied claims that he called the people of the Illawarra "a mob of whingers" in Parliament.
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The statement was made in Parliament on Tuesday during question time over the issue of Newcastle being promised $340 million from the lease of their port when the Illawarra only received $100 million after Port Kembla was leased.
As the Christian Democratic Party's Paul Green was asking about Wollongong City Council's disappointment over the Illawarra's relative lack of port proceeds, opposition shadow minister for water Walt Secord waved a copy of the Illawarra Mercury's front page after last week's state budget, which read "Kick in the Gut".
Across the chamber, Mr Secord asked "What do you say to the people of the Illawarra?"
While unseen, Mr Gay was clearly heard on parliamentary video footage to make the comment "what a mob of whingers" in response.
Later, Mr Secord claimed that Mr Gay had "called the families and businesses and newspaper editors of the Illawarra whingers".
While not denying making the comment in Parliament, Mr Gay said it was not directed at the people of the Illawarra.
"I suggested the council and the Labor Party were whingers," he said in Parliament.
When asked about Mr Gay's comments yesterday, a spokeswoman emailed a different parliamentary video to the Mercury and claimed it was proof that Labor was being "dishonest" over his comments.
However, the footage supplied was from a different time in the debate, after Mr Gay's "mob of whingers" reference was made.
Mr Gay said that, had he been referring to the people of the Illawarra, "that would have been inappropriate and I would have apologised".
"I do not regret my comments, which referred to Labor members and council critics who didn't want the lease of the port but are now complaining they want extra money from the transaction," Mr Gay said.
"Dishonest Labor spin merchants are wrongfully claiming 'the Illawarra received $100 million' when the Illawarra is receiving $270 million from the Ports Transaction - the $170 million committed to the Princes Highway along with the $100 million for other infrastructure projects."
Still, Wollongong MP Noreen Hay said she would be demanding an apology from Mr Gay.
"I think it's outrageous, he's supposed to be a minister for the state of NSW and last time I looked we are in the state of NSW," Ms Hay said.
"How dare he treat us that way? How dare he accuse the broad community down here of being a bunch of whingers?
"Here is the Minister for Ports and Roads, who was out there saying he had no intention of privatising the port of Port Kembla or any of the other ports, has misled - I like to call it lied - about his intentions.
"Then, because we don't like the fact that he lied, and misled us, he refers to us as a bunch of whingers."
Ms Hay said that Mr Gay's parliamentary claims that he was talking about Wollongong City Council didn't mitigate the issue at all.
"I think his whole comment lacks statesmanship.
"He is supposed to be a minister for the government of NSW governing for all, so those kinds of comments are not only not helpful but they are really insulting, and show the contempt that he and the other ministers and the government holds for the people of the Illawarra."
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said he wasn't too concerned.
"If standing up for your community is being a whinger, then I'm a whinger," Cr Bradbery said.
"Duncan Gay is a nice man and I would think he's being defensive because the state government's got themselves into a ridiculous situation in the way that they've distributed the proceeds of the leasing of NSW ports."
Cr Bradbery also said he would not be seeking an apology.
"I think he's an excellent minister and I don't want to get into that slanging match.
"I don't need an apology. I just want some response to our concerns with money and appropriate actions - that would be the most appropriate apology."
