Anthony Albanese’s dramatic national address has drawn backlash, with one TV host declaring it a “whole bunch of nothing”
Anthony Albanese’s surprise public address amid the global oil shock has been slammed as a “whole lot of nothing”, as figures across the political divide gave their swift takes.
Sky News host Andtrew Bolt lashed the message straight after it was broadcast across Australian TV on Wednesday night, saying it amounted to “free advertising” for the government.
“I’m surprised by the Prime Minister’s message for three reasons,” he said on The Bolt Report.
“First, you know, big drum roll, address the nation. Everyone’s got to watch.
“And this is absolutely nothing new. Just what a great job he’s being doing. This is just an unpaid advertisement.”
Mr Bolt continued to say Mr Albanese’s message, which encouraged Australians to remain calm, sent mixed signals.
“Didn’t that sound contradictory to you? You know, don’t change anything. Go about life as normal. Hit the road on Easter, if you wish, you know, don’t change a thing,” he said, summarising the Prime Minister’s address.
“But actually, if you can save some petrol for the farmers and the nurses, of course, that would be good.”
The Prime Minister’s 7pm address to the nation was used to allay fears that the Middle East crisis could get worse before it gets better.
“The months ahead may not be easy,’’ he said.
“I want to be upfront about that.
“I can promise we will do everything we can to protect Australia from the worst of it.”
On social media, journalist Antoinette Lattouf said the three-minute address “had peak this should’ve been an email energy”.
“Anthony Albanese just pulled off the ultimate media heist… free airtime on every commercial network with nothing of substance,” wrote independent NZ journalist Chris Lynch.
Tarric Brooker, an economics writer and news.com.au contributer, joked on X: “If you listen very carefully you can hear your fellow Australians checking if their local Bunnings is still open to go buy a jerry can.
“So inspiring was Albo’s speech,” he said, referencing the hardware giant’s denial of the PM’s jerry can shortage claims earlier this week.
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson, appearing on Mr Bolt’s show, said she believed the Prime Minister was “very concerned about the polls”.
“And so he’s given this message to calm everyone down, ‘everything’s fine,” she said.
She noted Asian powerhouses Japan and South Korea, which have larger oil reserves than Australia, were already moving to implement fuel rationing measures.
“I think they’re very concerned,” Ms Hanson said of the government. “They haven’t been upfront with the Australian people and I think they need to.”
Mr Albanese said the war in Iran had caused the biggest spike in petrol and diesel prices in history.
“Australia is not an active participant in this war. But all Australians are paying higher prices because of it,’’ he said.
“And the reality is, the economic shocks caused by this war will be with us for months.”
Outlining the measures announced to date, including a temporary cut to fuel tax, the Prime Minister pledged he would keep the nation updated.
Mr Bolt questioned how the announcement of a snap televised address ahead of Easter was meant to ease concerns at the current crisis.
It was the first time a Prime Minister has delivered a national message of this kind since Scott Morrison during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“One cabinet minister, unnamed, told the Sydney Morning Herald, this address is about setting the tone and calming people down ahead of Easter,” Mr Bolt said.
“I just wonder how calming it is to be told ‘don’t panic’ in an emergency message to the nation.”
On the ABC, Patricia Karvelas noted the message did include some sections that could be categorised as pessimistic.
“There were some non-optimistic sentences (such as) ‘I understand right now it’s hard to be positive’ … has there ever been a truer sentence spoken by a PM?” she asked.
“It has felt that way, how to stay positive in a world that’s a bin fire.
“We are desperately reliant for fuel from overseas and as a result we cannot be inoculated from the consequences.”
Speaking an hour after the message, Ms Karvelas said the Prime Minister had been preparing Australians for tough times ahead.
“This is the first time the Prime Minister has said to voters directly … he would like them to get on alternative transport,” she said.