Former prime minister Julia Gillard and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have strongly criticised a truck-mounted billboard campaign targeting Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan with the sexist phrase 'ditch the witch'. The billboards, which have been driving around Melbourne for about six weeks, feature AI-generated images of Allan wearing a black pointed hat and warts on her chin, placed between advertisements for a brothel.
Albanese condemns 'sexist' advertising
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Monday, Albanese described the campaign as 'totally unacceptable and has no place in public life'. He emphasised the need to encourage women to enter public life and that political debate should be a contest of ideas, not personal attacks. Albanese also called for a reduction in political tensions, warning against the potential for tragedy given the increased threats against politicians.
'You can have a disagreement with people's policy position by all means. You don't have to denigrate people in such a personal way. It has got to stop,' Albanese said.
Gillard expresses disgust
In a social media statement, Gillard said she was 'disgusted' to see the phrase used again, as it had been directed at her during her tenure as prime minister 15 years ago. She noted that while she had seen gradual improvement for women in politics, the resurrection of such a 'tired old trope' was disheartening. 'I am saddened to see that improvement cast aside and this tired old trope resurrected,' Gillard wrote.
Historical context
In 2011, then-opposition leader Tony Abbott spoke at an anti-carbon tax rally with a person holding a poster reading 'ditch the witch' behind him. Another poster labelled Gillard 'Bob Brown's bitch', referencing the then-Greens leader. The current campaign has drawn parallels to those incidents.
Allan responds
Premier Jacinta Allan released a statement on Sunday after one of the AI-generated images appeared in the Herald Sun alongside a story about a possible leadership spill. She declared that 'sexism has no place in our political debate, full stop'. Allan noted that while people are entitled to disagree with her, the attack targets women and raises concerns about who might be next.
Funding and criticism
The Age reported that the truck billboards were partly funded by Franco Puleo, owner of the Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne. Puleo denied the slogan was sexist, claiming it reflected how the Victorian public feels about Allan's lack of accountability. However, Victorian Attorney General Sonya Kilkenny and Opposition Leader Jess Wilson both condemned the campaign. Kilkenny stated that women in public life should not have to accept abuse and misogyny as part of the job. Wilson, while distancing the opposition from the billboards, described them as 'inappropriate'. In contrast, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson told Allan to 'suck it up, sweetheart', adding that she had been called a witch long before Allan.
