PETER VAN ONSELEN: Anthony Albanese is copping it on all fronts over his speech at the women’s march, but he only has himself to blame

After being accused of lying by the organizer of a rally against male violence against women last weekend, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to confirm or deny the accusation in two television interviews this morning.

But he didn’t stop there. In a failed attempt to show empathy for Sarah Williams throwing the L-word at him, Albo dismissed the barb as the musings of an emotional woman.

“It was an emotional day,” he told Channel Nine’s Today show, doing his best Scott Morrison impersonation.

Will Albo Morrison call again and tell us tomorrow that, after consulting with Jodie, he now realizes that wasn’t the best phrase he could have used to avoid the charge of lying?

Albo told the crowd that he had asked to speak at the meeting, but was told by organizers he could not. Williams was heard to interject in disgust, exclaiming ‘that’s a lie, that’s an outright lie’ before breaking down in tears.

She doubled down on the accusation on social media, also accusing the Prime Minister of using his title to “scare a young woman into renting.” [him] speak,” exercising his “right” by “declaring aggressively” when Williams asked the crowd whether Albo should say a few words: “I am the Prime Minister of the country, I run this country.”

Anthony Albanese is pictured speaking at the Women’s March against Gender-Based Violence – as organizer Sarah Williams becomes visibly upset (right)

That’s quite a triumvirate of charges for a prime minister to bear: aggression, intimidation and equality. All because they are called a ‘liar’.

The Prime Minister is silent about all these accusations, but that is not good enough. If he lied, he should admit it and apologize.

If it was a misunderstanding, he should tell us and explain how it all happened. A Prime Minister’s Office with a cricket team of media advisors should not allow such incidents to happen.

Likewise, if Albo believes that Williams is in fact the liar, have the courage to defend your integrity and speak out, rather than humiliate us all by accusing her of being emotional and therefore making untruths about the Australian Prime Minister to be allowed to speak.

Presumably that’s the implicit accusation he throws back at her when he calls her emotional because of her scathing comments about him.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pictured at a rally for a call to action to end violence against women, in Canberra, Sunday April 28, 2024

For a Prime Minister who won the last election thanks to record support from Australian women, finding herself in this awkward position just one year after the election is far from ideal.

Especially when letting go of the truth is already a valid criticism to level at Albo, after his broken promise about phase three tax cuts and new taxes on pensions.

And especially when you consider that the main problem he had with the way Morrison was running the country was Morrison’s willingness to be loose with the truth when it suited him politically, and not to answer honest questions, like Albo does now.

Is history repeating itself?

Event organizer Sarah Williams was visibly upset after her interaction with Mr Albanese and has since branded him a liar