Warren Mundine slams Anthony Albanese for visiting Australian Open not dealing with Alice Springs
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Prominent politician and Aboriginal leader Warren Mundine criticized Anthony Albanese for spending his days in corporate boxes drinking alcohol instead of tackling the alcohol-fueled crime wave plaguing Alice Springs and the Northern Territory.
The prime minister was seen enjoying a beer on Friday, Saturday and Sunday while watching the men’s and women’s semi-final and finals at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
His stint at the Australian Open came just three days after his whirlwind four-hour trip to Alice Springs on Tuesday to announce new bans on the sale of alcohol to try to stem a wave of juvenile crime that locals say has seen inflamed by work that removed grog bans in Northern Territory communities.
His breakneck journey quickly earned him the new nickname ‘FIFO PM’ and sparked a backlash not only from Mundine, but also from prominent Northern Territory Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Mundine was furious when he spoke to 2GB’s breakfast host Ben Fordham on Tuesday morning, saying relaxing with a beer sent the wrong message.
Anthony Albanese (pictured with Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka and Peta Murphy MP) has come under fire after drinking beers at the Australian Open days after making a trip to Alice Springs to address alcohol violence .
He arrived just days after his four-hour visit to the Northern Territory last Tuesday, where he announced new alcohol bans in a bid to stem a devastating wave of youth crime (pictured, a man fighting with a teenager outside a an Alice Springs pub on Saturday)
“The country is suffering now,” he said Tuesday morning.
“Get out of the corporate fucking boxes and stop drinking alcohol and really do your fucking job.”
Mundine compared the photos to images of Prime Minister Scott Morrison vacationing in Hawaii during the Black Summer wildfires in 2019.
The devastating fires destroyed more than 24 million hectares of land and directly killed 33 people while up to 450 died from the impact of smoke inhalation.
Morrison added fuel to the backlash when he defended his trip abroad by saying he wasn’t ‘holding a hose’ like the firefighters.
Mundine heavily criticized Albanese for breaking his promise to be different from his predecessor.
“He said he was going to do things, and all he and his ministers have been doing is flying around the country and having a good time going to sporting events and drinking,” he said.
His outburst at 2GB came after Mr Mundine earlier said he was feeling “very, very sick” about Mr Albanese and his trip to the Australian Open.
Indigenous leader Warren Mundine said the images of the PM made him ‘sick’
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said watching the premier at tennis was a “kick to the stomach” for the Northern Territory locals.
“You have all these people who are being abused … assaulted in the Northern Territory, and he (Albanese) spent three days lounging on the tennis courts, drinking beer and having a great time with his teammates,” he said.
“This is a guy who wants to have a legacy of how he treats Aboriginal people and how he’s going to improve the world.
“And here he is, the image of that really, really made me sick.”
Fordham joined in on criticism telling 2GB listeners that Mr. Albanese was “a long way from fixing the problem” in Alice Springs.
He criticized the decision to introduce temporary alcohol bans as a “half plan”.
Senator Price, who served as the former vice mayor of Alice Springs, joined the crowd.
Senator Jacinta Price criticized the prime minister for “drinking beers”. Mr Albanese in the tennis semifinals on Friday
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mocking an ice cream at tennis with his partner Jodie Haydon and Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka in the men’s singles final on Sunday.
“It is an insult and a kick to the stomach for the people of Alice Springs to see the Prime Minister spending more time relaxing and drinking beers on the tennis court than he did in Alice Springs,” Senator Price told the Daily Telegraph.
‘The threats and chaos have not stopped.
“We locals are subject to no longer being able to shop after 7pm as our malls and the city go into lockdown.”
Both Senator Price and Mr. Mundine called on the Prime Minister and Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians, to return to Alice Springs.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said Albanese spent “just four hours” in Alice Springs but the days at tennis “failed the pub test”.
“You can’t be a part-time prime minister,” he said.
Shocking video from the troubled and remote Northern Territory city shows a pub on one of the main streets under siege by belligerent teenagers on Saturday night.
A pub guest who filmed the disturbing scenes described it as “the scariest night of my life”.
Footage showed an Aboriginal girl throwing abuse through a fence at patrons before patrons seated in the pub’s beer garden began fighting with locals.
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