Key facts
- Australian politician Mark Parton admitted to sending a text message during a parliamentary hearing.
- The text message read "fuck, my job is boring."
- Parton denied allegations that the text was sent to a sex worker.
- The complaint was dismissed by the standards commissioner.
- Parton stated he is a "multi-tasker from hell" and defended sending personal texts during hearings.
Mark Parton, the leader of the opposition in Australia's Australian Capital Territory, has admitted to sending a text message during a parliamentary budget estimates hearing that read "fuck, my job is boring." The admission came after an anonymous complaint alleged the text was sent to a sex worker, a claim Parton vehemently denied.
Parton stated that the standards commissioner had dismissed the complaint, citing insufficient evidence, frivolity, vexatiousness, or political motivation. He confirmed sending the text when pressed by reporters but maintained it was not sent to a sex worker and declined to answer questions about his engagement with sex workers, deeming them not in the public interest.