Nationals senator Perin Davey has revealed a medical condition was the reason behind her slurred speech, rather than having too much alcohol.
Senator Davey had come under fire after footage emerged of her slurring her words during a parliamentary hearing.
While she's admitted she had two glasses of wine beforehand, she said she was not drunk during Senate estimates.
She has since revealed her slurred speech was caused by a medical condition, following surgery in 2019 after being in hospital in Germany for 11 days due to sepsis.
"I had an abscess behind the tonsils that had completely erupted and gone through my facial muscles and tissues in my throat muscles and I had to have two lots of emergency surgery," she told Bathurst radio station 2BS on Tuesday.
"They warned me that (surgery) will impact my speech, but I've been very conscious of it ever since, and I always thought I managed it very well.
"Although I acknowledge when I'm tired or if I've had a glass of wine, or if I'm stressed, my throat catches ... and I'll have a coughing fit, sometimes I slur words."
The workplace incident was brought into focus after Senator Davey's Nationals colleague and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce was seen lying on a Canberra footpath and slurring profanities into his phone.
Mr Joyce later blamed mixing prescription medication and alcohol for the incident.
Senator Davey said the attention on her following the estimates appearance had left her distraught.
"It's been challenging, I entered politics always knowing that you need a thick skin and always knowing that I will be picked up on policy issues," she said.
"I never thought I'd be attacked on personal characteristics or flaws, or issues that I can't help."
She said her children had been subject to online trolling following the incident.
"I admit that I had a couple of drinks before I went into that Senate estimates hearing but I was not drunk," she said.
"I do gesticulate when I'm passionate about things, and my throat catches, and I stumble over words, and earlier in the morning, I'm clearer than I am late at night, (but) that's got nothing to do with alcohol consumption."
