Nat Barr grilled Anthony Albanese after he was branded a “liar” for comments he allegedly made at a protest rally against violence against women.
The Prime Minister was booed while giving a speech at the march in Canberra on Sunday.
Organizer and domestic violence advocate Sarah Williams said Albanese demanded to speak at the rally, even though her office told her she would only walk at the march.
Footage then emerged of Mr Albanese saying he had asked to speak but was told it was “not possible”.
Williams said she was left crying at the rally after the Prime Minister told her “I am the Prime Minister of this country, I run this country.”
Nat Barr grilled Anthony Albanese after he was branded a “liar” for comments he allegedly made at a protest rally against violence against women.
Albanese appeared on Sunrise this morning and refused to answer whether or not the words came out of his mouth.
“So,” he said, you’re on stage with her and there was confusion about who was going to speak. And then you said behind her on stage, words like, “I’m the Prime Minister and I run the country.” Did you just say that?—Barr asked.
Albanese declined to respond, saying he wouldn’t get into “that kind of debate.”
‘She’s saying that on TV and radio nowadays, unfortunately that’s the message that’s coming out. We know it’s unfortunate, but could you forget it now? Barr asked again.
The prime minister repeatedly dodged the question and suggested the media should be able to verify the comment themselves.
‘Well, Nat, people, including Channel 7, were there to record everything that happened. So you were all there,” she said.
‘So the media was everywhere. They listened to everything that was said there. The problem here is that every four days, on average, a woman dies at the hands of her partner.’
Anthony Albanese gave a fiery speech at a rally in Canberra (pictured) on Sunday and said Australia needed to change its culture and attitudes to end violence against women.
Williams has since taken aim at the prime minister, saying his office told him he would not speak, but that Finance Minister Katy Gallagher would.
However, at the rally, Albanese suggested that he had asked the organizers for permission to speak, but that they had rejected him.
“We asked to talk, myself and (Finance Minister) Katy (Gallagher) and they told us that’s not possible,” he said.
“And that’s okay, we respect the organizers’ right to do so.”
Mrs. Williams chimed in: “That’s a lie.”
In a post shared on her Instagram Story after the rally, Williams clarified that Albanese was never prevented from speaking.
“He never asked to talk,” she said.
‘For him to not only demand that he speak because he was being interrupted, but also to lie was embarrassing.
“Today showed what it’s like to be entitled to something.”
More to come
