A Liberal meme slamming Anthony Albanese for holding a ‘fashion show’ – because he changed outfits while campaigning – has been slammed as ‘desperate’ by critics.
Both leaders hit the campaign trail after the Prime Minister officially called the federal election on Friday morning for Saturday, May 3.
That afternoon, Mr Albanese and dozens of journalists boarded a plane to fly to Brisbane where the next morning they headed straight for Peter Dutton‘s electorate of Dickson in the city’s northern suburbs.
There the Prime Minister fronted a press conference alongside Labor’s candidate for the seat, Ali France, at a medicare urgent care clinic at Murrumba Downs, which was briefly interrupted by a heckler complaining about immigration and housing.
Opposition Leader Mr Dutton had a pit stop at the nearby XXXX Brewery where he was also heckled, this time by an environmentalist.
There the two men diverged, with Mr Albanese heading to Bundaberg Brewed Drinks in the electorate of Hinckler and Mr Dutton going to Dickson for afternoon tea.
Mr Dutton finished his engagements with a meal at a Chinese restaurant in the seat of Moreton, where he was heckled for the second time, while Mr Albanese left Queensland to travel to Bega in NSW to announce $16m grant for a local pool.
A typically frenetic first full day in what will be a gruelling, five-week campaign.
Both leaders hit the campaign trail after the Prime Minister officially called the federal election for Saturday, May 3 on Friday morning. (Pictured: Mr Albanese kisses the first baby of the campaign in an impromptu meeting at a gym before a press conference on Saturday)
Opposition Leader Mr Dutton had a pit stop at the nearby XXXX Brewery where he was also heckled, this time by an environmentalist
But the Liberal Party meme-makers seized on the fact Mr Albanese removed his tie and suit jacket for his engagement at the Bundaberg factory before he slipped into a Cricket Australia tracksuit for the announcement in Bega.
‘1 day. 3 outfits. 10 years of deficits,’ a post compiling Mr Albanese’s change in clothing, compared to Mr Dutton wearing the same suit and tie all day, was captioned.
It added: ‘Australia needs a leader not a fashion show.’
The sartorial quip, which was shared across all of the Liberal Party’s social media accounts, sparked backlash.
Ed Cavanough, CEO of the progressive think tank the McKell Institute, described it as a ‘poor campaign start from the Opposition’.
‘Flat message. Dull opening video pitch. Focusing on the colour of the PMs shirts on day one,’ he wrote on X.
‘After two years of pretty disciplined strategy, seems they simply have no final act.’
Brian Briggs, a military compensation lawyer, accused the Liberal Party of ‘getting desperate’.
The engagements represented a typically frenetic first full day in what will be a gruelling, five-week campaign. But the Liberal Party meme-makers seized on the fact Mr Albanese removed his tie and suit jacket for his engagement at the Bundaberg factory before he slipped into a Cricket Australia tracksuit for the announcement in Bega (pictured below)
‘Who the f*** cares what the PM wears?’, he asked.
‘Least Albo was in Qld during the cyclone. Where … was Spud? That’s right drinking champagne and sucking up to rich donors.’
The latter comment was a reference to Mr Dutton flying back to Sydney to attend at fundraiser at the harbourside mansion of hospitality billionaire Justin Hemmes, just as x-Tropical Cyclone Alfred was barrelling towards the Queensland coast.
It later emerged that Mr Albanese had attended a fundraiser on the same day.
Another critic of the meme branded it ‘bottom of the barrel stuff’.
‘I don’t like Albanese either, but c’mon now this is not how you win me over. A focus on policy is,’ they added.
‘Our natural gas exports, immigration, and constitutionally recognised and protected free speech. There’s a few to start with.
Other people were confused by the reference to ’10 years of deficits’.
It was likely a reference to last week’s Budget, which handed down a deficit after two surpluses – and no return to surplus for at least a decade.
But many took the comment it to mean deficits returned when the Coalition were last in power.
‘Weren’t in Liberals in for 7 of those 10 years?’, one asked.
Another wrote: ’10 years of deficits? You mean, the years that you lot presided over?
‘The years where Turnbull, Abbott and Morrison couldn’t get a budget surplus yet Labor delivered 2 out of 3 in surplus after your economic mismanagement? Those years??’
Many more pointed out that taking your tie and jacket off hardly constituted a new outfit.
Daily Mail Australia approached Mr Albanese’s office for comment.