The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has recalled how he saved Dolly Parton’s 2011 tour down under by allowing the country music star to bring a big bus deemed too large for Australian roads.
Albanese, who describes himself as an “indie rock and roll” fan, retold his star turn in an ABC Radio segment commemorating Parton’s 78th birthday on Friday.
Albanese recalled that “a few years ago, when I was transport minister, I intervened to give Dolly Parton’s tour the go-ahead”.
“She was going to cancel the tour and it was worth in excess of $30m – tickets had already been sold,” he said.
“Dolly Parton doesn’t like flying around, right? So she has a bus that is larger than the regulations and the bureaucrats say is not allowed on New South Wales roads and on roads in Australia, so I intervened and said ‘for goodness sake, surely going from A to B with Dolly Parton’s bus [should be allowed]’.”
Reports at the time said the 14.5-metre bus was ruled by customs to be nearly two metres too long, five centimetres too wide and overweight for Australia, while state road officials also objected to its doors opening on the right side of the vehicle.
“I got to have a look inside, it’s a bit more than a bus, she sort of she lives in there, basically,” Albanese said on Friday.
“It’s quite luxurious but it’s longer and wider than a normal bus here and so I intervened as the federal transport minister and her tour went ahead.
“And I got to meet Dolly and to go to her gig there out at Homebush and I’ve got to say it was fantastic.
“She is a great entertainer and so happy birthday Dolly.”
In 2011 Dolly Parton personally thanked Albanese during her tour.
“I want to especially thank Anthony Albanese,” she said.
“He was so good to make sure we got my buses here ... Now I don’t know if he’s here today but if he is you can come up here and I’ll smear lip gloss all over you.”
Before Tamworth’s country music festival, the largest music festival in Australia, Albanese said it was one of Australia’s “great events”.
Albanese is well known for his love of indie rock music and was personally congratulated by singer-songwriter Billy Bragg after his election in May 2022.
Albanese is also an amateur DJ. In a 2015 interview with Guardian Australia after a set at a fundraiser, Albanese confessed to playing pop hits including Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off.
