An innocent photo of Anthony Albanese playing tennis before work has sparked a Twitter pile-on with critics comparing the picture opportunity with former PM Scott Morrison’s sometimes bizarre media stunts.
The Prime Minister shared a picture on Tuesday of an early morning tennis hit to promote the centenary of Tennis ACT. Following the quick game, Mr Albanese made his way to Parliament for a full sitting day.
Even though the picture was taken at an official event where the PM was working, Twitter users piled onto the post, attacking Mr Albanese and wrongly accusing him of failing to decry Nazi salutes that were performed at a protest in Melbourne at the weekend.
Mr Albanese had actually appeared on Nova radio on Tuesday urging all Australians to condemn the confronting scenes out the front of Victoria’s state Parliament at the weekend.
The Prime Minister shared a photo on Tuesday of his early morning hit at tennis to promote the centenary of Tennis Australia. After the quick game, Mr Albanese made his way to Parliament
The innocent photo has drawn unflattering comparisons to former PM Scott Morrison
‘There is no place in Australia for Nazi salutes, and people basically paying tribute to Nazis, who were responsible for the Holocaust,’ Mr Albanese said.
But Mr Albanese’s pictures led some Twitter users to draw comparisons with Mr Albanese’s predecessor Scott Morrison, who was famously and repeatedly criticised over his penchant for a photo opportunity.
‘Thanks for the update Scott… I mean Albo,’ one critic said.
Another wrote: ‘Great job Scott, oops… you post that many photos I get you two mixed up sometimes.’
‘Thanks for the pictures Scott, er, Anthony. Hard to tell the difference some days.’
Mr Morrison copped flak for a series of bizarre photo ops in the lead up to the last election, including washing a woman’s hair in a Melbourne salon and making gnocci from scratch in a restaurant.
The former Tourism Australia marketing boss earned the derisive nickname ‘Scotty from Marketing’ during his tenure in the top job.
In his first domestic tour after the end of Covid lockdowns in Victoria and NSW, Mr Morrison made pasta, served breakfast to veterans, and opened an Indian community centre with a flower garland around his neck.
Other critics drew comparisons to Mr Albanese’s predecessor Scott Morrison, who was famously and repeatedly criticised over his penchant for a photo opportunity
Scott Morrison during a photo opportunity in which he washed a woman’s hair in Melbourne
The former PM was also pictured making gnocchi during a visit to Sugo restaurant in Malvern, Melbourne ahead of the election
In the same thread, a tweet Mr Albanese made back in his election campaign also resurfaced, in which he vowed to keep his head down and get the job done if he were to become Prime Minister.
He said at the time: ‘If I’m Prime Minister, I won’t go missing when the going gets tough – or pose for photos and then disappear when there’s a job to be done.
‘I’ll show up, I’ll step up – and I’ll work every day to bring our country together.’
One parliamentary source told Daily Mail Australia the comparison to Mr Morrison was ‘harsh’ given all that Mr Albanese and his government has achieved since he was elected 10 months ago.
‘I don’t think it’s fair for them to say he’s anything like Scott Morrison. I think his record speaks for itself,’ the insider said.
Labor sources point out that since he was elected, Mr Albanese has successfully moved the National Anti-Corruption Commission legislation and industrial relations bill.
In foreign affairs and defence, Mr Albanese prioritised strengthening relations across the pond and has embarked on multiple international business trips.
In the exchange, a tweet Mr Albanese made back in his election campaign resurfaced, in which he vowed to keep his head down and get the job done if he were to become Prime Minister
Victoria is now taking steps to ban the Nazi salute
This week, he’s determined to progress the Voice to Parliament referendum, which is being debated in the Senate this week, while also promoting a focus on closing the gender pay gap.
But most recently, his focus has been on the historic AUKUS nuclear submarines partnership with the United States and the United Kingdom.
The $368billion deal has been hailed as the greatest investment in our nation’s defence and will boost Australia’s defence capabilities exponentially.
It will also strengthen ties with two of the nation’s biggest allies at a time of heightened tensions with China.
There have been reports of discontent within the Labor party of the mammoth investment, but on Tuesday two of three MPs named in reports as having reservations over the deal have come out to publicly support it.
Higgins MP Michelle Ananda-Rajah and Corangamite MP Libby Coker reportedly queried the deal in a Labor caucus meeting.
Dr Ananda-Rajah later came out in public support of her party. ‘I fully support the government’s announced AUKUS plan,’ she said.
Mr Albanese has been widely praised for his work over the past 10 months in power, but it’s been a tough fortnight on the back of rising power costs and the changes to superannuation for accounts of over $3million
Men are pictured performing the Nazi salute at an anti-trans protest in Melbourne on March 18
Ms Coker also rubbished reports she wasn’t in favour of the deal.
‘The AUKUS plan is important for our security, it responds to the challenging times we face and it will create thousands of jobs for Australian workers. It has my support,’ she said.
Earlier, Josh Wilson, the member for Fremantle, told Parliament he’s not yet ‘convinced’ of the benefits of the deal.
‘I’m not yet convinced that we can adequately deal with the non-proliferation risks involved in what is a novel arrangement by which a non-nuclear weapons state under the Non-Proliferation Treaty comes to acquire weapons-grade material,’ he said.
‘I could be proved wrong about some of my concerns.
‘Perhaps they’re ill-founded in a way that I don’t perceive, and I can live with that, but I would be wrong already if I wasn’t prepared to identify and voice those concerns which are based on work I’ve done consistently since I was first elected to this place on some of these issues.’
Mr Albanese has been widely praised for his work over the past 10 months in power, but it’s been a tough fortnight on the back of rising power costs and the changes to superannuation for accounts of over $3million.
During Question Time, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton joined the Attorney-General in the ‘condemnation of any use of Nazi symbols – of the salute, of any glorification of that period of history’
Men wearing black tops and shorts perform the Nazi salute at a protest in Melbourne, Australia March 18, 2023 in this picture obtained from a social media video
The Opposition have doubled down on criticism of Labor’s promise to reduce household costs by $275 this sitting week, accusing the party of ‘breaking another election promise’.
During his election campaign, Mr Albanese vowed to reduce these costs by 2025 – still another two years away.
But as prices continue to soar and families feel the pinch more than ever, the Coalition have been heaping pressure on the Government to reaffirm that promise.
The the energy regulator has flagged incoming price hikes of between 19 and 30 per cent in at least five states.
Victoria’s Essential Services Commission signalled a whopping 30 per cent increase in household electricity prices and 31 per cent for small businesses.
A typical household bill would rise from $1,403 to $1,829 per year, while small businesses could expect an increase from $5,620 to about $7,358.
The Prime Minister shared a photo on Tuesday of his early morning hit at tennis to promote the centenary of Tennis Australia. After the quick game, Mr Albanese made his way to Parliament
Even though the photo was taken on the morning of a busy day in office, critics have pounced on the post to accuse the PM of failing to focus on important matters
Default offers for residential customers in NSW were expected to increase by between 20.9 per cent and 23.7 per cent for small businesses.
Queensland residential prices would be up nearly 20 per cent in the state’s south-east while South Australia will see a residential increase of 22 per cent.
It estimated small business customers could face price increases of between 14.7 per cent to 25.4 cent depending on their regions and providers.
The regulator said the increases would see the average household bill rise between $300 and $564 a year.
For the hardest hit areas of NSW, households could see their energy bill increase by up to $463 while small businesses will see their bills rise by up to $858.
But Labor has noted these price hikes have little to do with policy and are responsive to the global crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Albanese has also claimed the Coalition was aware of impending rises but did not alert the public ahead of the election.
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