Winston Peters foiled Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's attempts to end a joint press conference on Wednesday afternoon, and cracked a joke about leadership spills.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister is in Canberra for a six-monthly meeting with his Austalian counterpart, and earlier in the conference noted his arrival at a "most curious and unusual time, politically speaking".
Ms Bishop told reporters she'd take one last question, and was asked by a reporter whether she was "working the phones" like Peter Dutton - who yesterday lost a leadership contest to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
- Peter Dutton will 'strike again' soon against Malcolm Turnbull - expert
- Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull's leadership far from certain, despite tense victory
"I have been in a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and Winston can attest that during that meeting I've not made one phone call," Ms Bishop said.
She said she urged all of her colleagues to accept the result of the leadership contest, which saw a majority endorse Mr Turnbull as leader and herself as deputy leader.
"We must now focus all our energy and our efforts on ensuring that we're delivering policies for the Australian people."
Ms Bishop listed the Government's policy priorities and finished with: "On that point the Deputy Prime Minister and I are leaving because he's got a very important speech to make."
She tapped Mr Peters on the shoulder but he stayed put. She went as far as to joke "I'm trying to bump you off stage" but he waited to hear a question addressed to him.
"She's a female I've got to answer the question," Mr Peters said.
"Did you really just say that?" Ms Bishop asked.
"I'll look like a chauvinist," Mr Peters said.
He then answered a question about China's Belt and Roads initiative.
But even then he wasn't finished, making a final comment: "As a politician when you go into a spill you've got to take your abacus, thank you very much."
Mr Peters said earlier in the press conference that no matter the outcome on the leadership front, "we want to see Australia a strong, helpful leadership influence in the Pacific upon which we rely."
"We depend upon Australia more than you depend upon us but that said, our two countries are seriously significant in how the future of this part of the world turns out."
Newshub.
