2GB presenter Ray Hadley has speculated that Anthony Albanese’s proposal to Jodie Haydon could be a tactic to divert attention from the ‘drama’ within the Labor Party.
The 60-year-old prime minister shared the romantic news on Thursday morning, making him the first Australian leader to get engaged while in office.
“She said yes ❤️,” Mr. Albanese said.
But the 2GB presenter was skeptical about the timing of the big gesture.
‘Call me suspicious, but isn’t it funny that on the very day he was found to be under more pressure than Clive Palmer’s belt buckle?’ he said.
“He could have done it last week, he could have done it three months ago, he could have done it in three months.
“But suddenly with Andrew Giles everywhere, with Angus Taylor jumping up and down over the $40 million, what a nice way for Woman’s Day to distract from the drama.”
Anthony Albanese has proposed to his partner Jodie Haydon and she said yes
His colleague Ben Fordham immediately shut down his theory, but Hadley later continued his tirade.
“The cynical part of me says that timing is everything, and Valentine’s Day is a good time to propose, and it’s an even better time to be accepted on a proposal, but it’s also at a time when people still jumping up and down the stage three tax cuts,” he said.
“And the $40 million the government spent of our money to convince us it was the right thing to do.”
Hadley said the announcement would “eliminate for a few days” the problems facing Labor.
He then congratulated Mrs Haydon on the proposal.
“I reserve my cynicism for the prime minister,” he said.
Hadley referred to the impact of Mr Albanese’s reworking of tax cuts, which will benefit everyone, not just high-income earners.
Labor has committed $40 million to a marketing campaign to sell the tax cuts to Australians.
Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has faced calls to resign following the release of detainees in November after the Supreme Court ruled that indefinite detention was unlawful.
Documents presented to the Senate on Monday show that among the 149 detainees released are 37 sex offenders, 72 convicted of violent crimes, kidnapping or armed robbery, and seven convicted of murder or attempted murder.
Former prisoners have committed 27 crimes since their release.
The government’s delayed efforts to put prisoners back behind bars have led to calls for Mr Giles to be sacked.
Calls for the resignation of Immigration Minister Andrew Giles (pictured) have increased following Senate revelations about the crimes committed by dangerous prisoners released following a Supreme Court ruling
Labor leader Anthony Albanese with his son Nathan (left) and Jodie Haydon
Meanwhile, Mr Albanese has received many well wishes following the announcement, including from Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Claire O’Neil.
The once divorced prime minister met Ms Haydon, 43, in early 2020 at a conference in Melbourne where the then opposition leader was speaking.
Mr Albanese asked the crowd if any fellow South Sydney fans were present and Ms Haydon, who lives in his Grayndler electorate, shouted: ‘Up the Rabbitohs’.
Later he introduced himself and they decided to go for drinks when they got back to Sydney.
He wooed his new girlfriend with a night out at Young Henrys Brewery in Newtown.
‘We had what I thought was just going to be a drink at Young Henrys in Newtown, and we got on really well. That’s how it started,” he told Women’s Weekly.
Mr Albanese, a father of one, had recently split from his ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt after 19 years of marriage and 30 years together.
He said he was still “emotionally bruised” by the sudden split, which came as a shock.
Mr Albanese attends the Australian premiere of Hamilton
Ms Haydon, who has never been married or had children, said she was not looking for a relationship but realized she had fallen in love with Mr Albanese when he was in a car accident in January 2021.
His Toyota was rammed by a Range Rover and he was rushed to hospital for x-rays but escaped serious injury.
Ms Haydon recalled arriving at the scene of the accident in Marrickville after a phone call and seeing her friend’s wrecked car.
‘I saw the wreckage of a car before I saw it and thought ‘he wouldn’t survive this’. It was very scary, and in that moment you realize how much you love this person – the fear of losing them,” she said.
‘When I jumped in the ambulance and saw Anthony, I knew how deep my feelings for him were.’
During his time in office, she was by his side every step of the way, earning her the nickname ‘Australia’s First Lady’ as she accompanies him to international events and joins him on the world stage.
Mr Albanese and his ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt – the former Deputy Premier of NSW. The potential future Prime Minister said he ‘didn’t see it coming’ when Mrs Tebbutt ended their marriage on New Year’s Day 2019