RED-FACED: Sussan Ley’s Shocking Attack on Albanese’s Joy Division Shirt Sparks Coalition Crisis!
- Ley accused Albanese of “displaying the wrong values” by wearing a Joy Division T-shirt with “dark” origins
- Nationals MPs and some Liberals privately question Ley’s judgement, calling it a “troubling” sign of her leadership style
- Albanese defends his actions, saying he’s just a fan of the band and didn’t expect to be photographed in the shirt
In a stunning display of party divisions, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has come under fire for her scathing criticism of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s fashion choice. Ley took aim at Albanese for wearing a Joy Division T-shirt, claiming it had “antisemitic connotations” due to the band’s name originating from a term used in concentration camps during World War II.
However, not everyone in the Coalition is backing Ley’s attack. Nationals Senator Matt Canavan dismissed the criticism, saying, “I don稒 care what T-shirt the PM wears. I do care how he’s doing for the country and I don’t think a lot of joy is being felt by Australians right now.”
Meanwhile, Shadow Infrastructure Minister Bridget McKenzie, a self-proclaimed fan of Joy Division and New Order, labelled Ley’s criticism “trouble-making”. “There’s a lot to legitimately criticise the prime minister about — trillion-dollar debt, skyrocketing house prices and job losses in our heavy industrial sector — wearing a T-shirt isn’t one of them,” McKenzie told Seven.
Despite the backlash, Ley stood by her comments, insisting that Albanese was well aware of the “dark history” behind the band’s name. “I don’t take a backwards step on my comments and I don’t know that people realise that the prime minister in wearing the T-shirt was well aware of the dark history behind the words on the T-shirt,” Ley said.
Liberal backbenchers have also begun to question Ley’s leadership style, with one MP likening her attack on Albanese’s T-shirt to her “ill-advised” call to sack Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd. “At some point we can’t excuse this behaviour for panic, this is her leadership style and it’s troubling,” they said.
However, Ley’s supporters have rallied around her, saying her detractors are simply trying to “stir up trouble” over nothing. Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor agreed that Albanese’s shirt was “tone deaf”, while Shadow Housing Minister Andrew Bragg said the prime minister had done the “wrong thing” by the Jewish Australian community.
As the Coalition continues to divide over Ley’s comments, one thing is clear: the controversy surrounding Albanese’s Joy Division T-shirt has sparked a heated debate about leadership, judgement, and the importance of being aware of the “dark history” behind cultural icons.