Bourke was forced to apologise to an indigenous housing organisation yesterday after giving misleading answers in Estimates last week.

Opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Jeremy Hanson described the minister’s performance as “bizarre”, saying: “It has become obvious that [Chief Minister] Katy Gallagher was scraping the bottom of the barrel when she decided to appoint Chris Bourke as a minister. He has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of experience, judgement and competence required of a minister.

“Yesterday’s embarrassing display follows Chris Bourke’s previous failings in his Education portfolio, when he gave contradictory media statements about his own school safety policy and was unable to provide basic details about bullying incidents at Canberra’s Institute of Technology.

“On top of this, Chris Bourke refused to assure the public he was investigating an incident that involved a child in a near-drowning disaster at a school swimming carnival.

“He has muddled his way through various media interviews and has given incoherent, vague and often contradictory answers in Question Time.

“Today, I call on Katy Gallagher to remove Chris Bourke as Minister.”