Anthony Albanese has sparked outrage after attending a Taylor Swift concert and a private Katy Perry show, as Australians grapple with a cost-of-living crisis.
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The post headlined ‘Great job! Albo is a Swiftie, and Australians are getting poorer’ was followed by a litany of abuse for Mr Albanese.
However, that didn’t stop him from flying to Melbourne on Saturday to attend a private Katy Perry concert at billionaire Anthony Pratt’s mansion.
The Prime Minister was among a crowd of about 200 Australian business and political elites, with the notable absence of Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci, who withdrew following an investigation into alleged price gouging.
Mr Albanese is seen (blue top) at Friday night’s Taylor Swift show in Sydney, between his son Nathan and fiancée Jodie Haydon
Over a busy weekend, Anthony Albanese attended shows by Katy Perry (pictured left) in Melbourne and Taylor Swift (pictured right) in Sydney
A poster beneath the footage of Mr Albanese dancing at Taylor Swift’s show commented on his ‘body language’.
“He is uncomfortable and bounces because the others do, and the man next to him (his son Nathan) is more subdued, just like Ablo (sic) our Prime Minister.
“Concerned about how he looks, I wonder if he knows he’s being filmed?”
Others were more directly offensive, like the poster who wrote, “I don’t even know how this guy got to noon. This guy is just there to have as much fun as he can while he’s there and spend tax money.
‘What has he solved? He has made life miserable for all Australians since he arrived. Leave this country and live somewhere else and stop leaking the people.”
Another added: ‘Australians are suffering from price increases in supermarkets, energy, transport etc… @AlboMP is on holiday.’
Defending his participation in Swift’s Sydney show, Mr Albanese told Weekend Sunrise on Sunday that “at a time when there is so much unrest in the world, one of the reasons why Taylor Swift’s tour has been such a success is is that he is so positive’.
“It’s so uplifting, and that’s her message… And she’s a very welcome visitor here. And her message of women empowerment is, I think, positive,” he said.
“And secondly, it’s been quite good for the economy. Good for employment and good for economic activity. So that is always welcome too.’
The Prime Minister also appeared on Weekend Today and praised Swift’s talents, saying: ‘She’s a great songwriter. I think she’s a great copywriter.’
“I think she’s in the genre of Joni Mitchell and of people who came before her in writing in a way that people can really relate to,” he said.
Taylor Swift performs at Melbourne Cricket Ground on the first night of her Eras tour
Katy Perry (right) and Rita Ora (left) attended Taylor Swift’s show in Sydney on Friday evening. Perry played a private show for 200 people, including Anthony Albanese, in Melbourne on Saturday
Asked whether he would be attending the secret Perry show on Sunday, Mr Albanese said that was not his main reason for attending the meeting at Mr Pratt’s country home.
“I gave a speech last night at the annual food and drinks dinner,” he said.
‘Last year it took place in Sydney. This year it was held here in Melbourne. It’s an annual event and it’s an opportunity to talk to manufacturers…
‘The good news I got from many companies last night was that they are expanding their activities. That means more jobs here and it means that our economy is more resilient here too.’
Not all of the online commentary about Mr Albanese attending major pop concerts has been negative, however.
One poster used it as an opportunity to attack the previous Prime Minister. ‘Scomo is no longer prime minister. We now have a real one,” they wrote.