Home Australia Glaring reason Anthony Albanese has been accused of ‘double standards’ after warning US billionaire Elon Musk not to meddle in Australian politics

Glaring reason Anthony Albanese has been accused of ‘double standards’ after warning US billionaire Elon Musk not to meddle in Australian politics

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Anthony Albanese has been accused of double standards after warning US billionaire Elon Musk to stay out of Australian politics ahead of the federal election.

Antonio Albanese has been accused of double standards after warning US billionaire Elon Musk to stay out of Australian politics ahead of the federal election.

The slap to the world’s richest person came four months after Musk called the Labor government “fascists” for trying to force X and other social media sites to be censored.

Since then, the businessman donated $447 million to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in the United States, attacked the Labor government in the United Kingdom and hosted German right-wing leader Alice Weidel in a live chat.

Asked if he was concerned about Musk influencing the upcoming federal election in Australia, Albanese said: “We have foreign interference laws in this country and Australian elections are an Australian matter.”

He added that he had “no intention of being a commentator on what people abroad want to do.”

“People will make their own judgments and have their own views on it.”

Albanese’s comments sparked accusations of hypocrisy as he was happy to use an American former NBA star to promote a Yes vote in the Voice referendum.

‘During the Voice era, Shaquille O’Neal actively promoted the Yes campaign. Double standards? one wrote.

Anthony Albanese has been accused of double standards after warning US billionaire Elon Musk to stay out of Australian politics ahead of the federal election.

Another added: ‘Let’s not forget his deceitful behavior regarding ‘The Voice’ referendum! It’s time to resign!’

O’Neal had met Albanese in August 2022 before Australian voters rejected the Voice, and 60 percent voted No in the October 2023 referendum.

The American star’s visit sparked backlash as he was best known in Australia for promoting gambling company PointsBet.

Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price questioned why a “black American” was asked to help “black Australians”.

“Historically, Aboriginal Australians have more in common with Native Americans than with African Americans,” he said in a Facebook post at the time.

“What superficiality without substance when we are faced with such serious issues.”

Albanese has not yet announced the date of the next election; however, it is widely speculated that they will be held on April 12.

Last September, Musk called the Australian government “fascists” over proposed legislation to fine social media companies if they allowed the publication of anything the government considered “disinformation.”

That could lead to platforms paying up to five percent of their global revenue in fines.

Musk (pictured) donated $447 million to Donald Trump's US presidential election campaign.

Musk (pictured) donated $447 million to Donald Trump’s US presidential election campaign.

Musk then doubled down and said:

Musk then doubled down and said: “Far-left fascists love censorship” (pictured)

Musk, who considers himself a protector of free speech, responded to an X user’s post about the disinformation law with one word: “fascists.”

Albanese responded at the time by saying that social media companies must act responsibly.

“If Mr. Musk doesn’t understand that, that says more about him than it does about my government,” he said.

But the South African-born billionaire doubled down on his comments in another post, titled: “Far Left Fascists Love Censorship.”

Musk had also previously clashed with the Australian government over requests from X to remove clips of a Sydney bishop being stabbed during a church service.

Last April, Australia’s eSafety commissioner ordered X to remove graphic content from its platform worldwide and launched court proceedings, but the case was dropped in June.

Laws passed by the coalition government under Malcolm Turnbull in 2018 could be used against Musk if he tried to financially back an Australian political party.

Part of the legislation includes a ban on donations from non-Australians to political parties. But X has an Australian subsidiary, possibly allowing a loophole.

In addition to his massive donations to Trump’s election campaign, Musk has also regularly tweeted about immigration, identity politics, crime, and other topics.

He reportedly promised the UK Reform Party $157 million, but this now appears to be on hold after Musk fell out with Reform founder and leader Nigel Farage.

In Germany, Musk has endorsed the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, which has grown from a fringe party accused of having Nazi sympathies to the second-largest party in last year’s German elections to the European Parliament.

Last week he hosted a live chat with AfD leader Alice Weidel, prompting condemnation from the political mainstream.

In November, the owner of

However, both major parties backed the legislation, and Musk has not indicated he would back either party in the federal election.

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