The organiser of an anti-domestic violence rally in Canberra says she’s been traumatised by the prime minister’s behaviour, after Anthony Albanese took to the stage and claimed he’d been dissuaded from speaking, making her burst into tears in front of hundreds of protesters.
Sarah Williams, founder of the What Were You Wearing (WWYW) movement and organiser of the Canberra rally, said no-one from the Prime Minister’s Office had reached out to her after the incident on Sunday.
Williams said the office had reached out to her before the rally to inform her Albanese wished to show up “in solidarity”. But as the speeches were underway, Williams said Albanese “pretty much demanded” to speak, and she proceeded to ask the audience if they agreed.
“He was pretty much just there, with all these people and security guards,” she said.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Williams said: “Albanese’s office made it clear he was just walking and was not interested in speaking. Myself and WWYW never denied him from speaking. He never asked to speak.
“For him to not only demand he speak because he was being heckled, but lie, was disgraceful.”
“It wasn’t about him, that rally … it was about women and victim-survivors, not about him,” Williams told Crikey.
“It really, really messed me up, and I’m yet to have an apology. I think that should have been the first thing he did this morning, rather than go on a million different media [interviews] and avoid all questions.”
Video footage from the Canberra rally shows Albanese standing next to Williams, holding a microphone and reading from prepared remarks. At one point in his speech, Albanese said: “To be clear, we did ask to speak, me and [Finance Minister] Katy [Gallagher], and we were told that’s not possible. And that’s fine, we respect the organisers’ right to do that.”
Williams can be heard saying “That’s a lie”, shaking her head and then bursting into tears.
Albanese is seen looking over at her, before continuing with his speech.
The prime minister made a round of media appearances on Monday morning and avoided questions about Williams’ claim he lied in his speech.
“Look, good on Sarah for organising the rally yesterday. This is an issue that is a national scourge and a national crisis. I was happy to just attend as a participant or happy to speak, either way,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program when asked to respond.
Williams said that rather than feeling supported by Albanese, she’s fearful his refusal to address what happened will mean she’ll face harassment and ridicule.
“By him not just admitting and taking accountability that he lied … that’s not supporting me, that’s potentially causing me bad press, or haters to come after me and be like ‘Why did you lie about him?’” she said.
The Canberra rally was one of several protests that took place across Australia, including a rally in Melbourne that reportedly drew 15,000 people.
Albanese has called for a national cabinet meeting on Wednesday, featuring state and territory leaders, to discuss a coordinated response to what he has called a “national crisis” of violence against women.
According to the non-profit organisation Our Watch, two out of every five women have experienced violence since the age of 15. On average, one woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner.
The Prime Minister’s Office was contacted for comment.
