A Brisbane-based restaurant owner has taken the blame for a controversial menu which used "grossly sexist" words to describe Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's body at an opposition party fund raising event.
Joe Richards, the owner of the restaurant where the fund raising dinner was hosted by senior Liberal Party leader Mal Brough in March, admitted to producing the offensive menu as an "in-house" joke with his son.
Gillard, 51, had described the menu as a "grossly sexist and offensive".
Richards has sent an e-mail to Brough saying it was a "mock" menu he created as a light-hearted joke and it was not given out on the night, ABC News reported today.
Richards said it is unfortunate a staff member posted it on social media.
"I would like to confirm what actually happened: there were never any menus distributed on the tables or in the restaurant," he said in the email.
"I created a mock menu myself as a light-hearted joke. However, as I said, I never produced them for public distribution. Unfortunately, a staff member saw the mock menu and, unbeknownst to myself, posted it on their Facebook page. It now appears that a third party, for political reasons, has distributed it."
Brough, an opposition candidate for the September general elections and an ex-minister under former Prime Minister John Howard, had apologised and said the menu was written by a non-party member who thought it would be "humorous", but is now "deeply apologetic".
However, the Liberal Party has confirmed Richards is a party donor, but says he was not asked to make the admission.
The party has released a statement saying the "content of the menu card was absolutely unacceptable and has no place at any LNP (Liberal Party) event".
