Gai Brodtmann has lashed a Turnbull government minister over comments to Parliament about Canberra, accusing him of disrespect for federal public servants.
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During a debate in Parliament about the government's changes to citizenship laws on Wednesday, Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher said Ms Brodtmann's electorate of Canberra was "no guide" for the rest of Australia.
The Canberra MP and Labor's assistant spokeswoman for cyber security and defence used a speech on Thursday to rebut the interjections, telling the lower house Mr Fletcher said "your electorate is Canberra, that's no guide".
"The minister then went on to suggest that Canberra was totally out of touch, that it was not in the real world," Ms Brodtmann said.
"So I say to the Canberrans working in the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, your minister thinks you're out of touch.
"Your minister thinks you don't live in the real world. Your minister thinks you do not reflect the rest of Australia.
"Your minister doesn't think you pay rent or have a mortgage, your minister doesn't think that you are juggling the rent and that mortgage with your car repayments and your bills. Your minister has no understanding of you ... and from that you should construe no respect for your public service, for the service that you give to our country, for you.
"I say that to his department, he has no respect for you."
Mr Fletcher, who represents the Sydney electorate of Bradfield, declined to comment on Thursday.
Ms Brodtmann said the Coalition had shown "complete and utter contempt for Canberra", through cutting more than 15,000 public service jobs and through a lack of infrastructure investments in the capital.
