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Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has slammed increasingly “corrosive” political debate in Australia less than six months out from a contentious state election after a “sexist” campaign billboard was spotted in Melbourne.
‘Corrosive’: Victoria n Premier Jacinta Allan calls out sexist ‘Ditch the Witch’ Melbourne campaign The Victoria n Premier has taken to social media to condemn a “sexist” campaign targeting her in the streets of Melbourne.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has slammed increasingly “corrosive” political debate in Australia less than six months out from a contentious state election after a “sexist” campaign billboard was spotted in Melbourne. A billboard sporting the slogan “Ditch the Witch” was spotted driving around the Melbourne CBD on Friday night, according to the Herald Sun.
The slogan was previously used against former prime minister Julia Gillard amid fierce debate over the 2011 carbon tax, and comes after Ms Allan was targeted by a seperate, more crude slogan stating “ditch the b***h” on a fire truck at a rally in 2025. Taking to social media to slam Friday’s campaign, Ms Allan said “sexism just has no police in out political debate. Full stop”.
A billboard sporting the slogan “Ditch the Witch” was spotted driving around the Melbourne CBD on Friday night. Source: Supplied“The political debate in this country has become corrosive over the last few years. ”She said behaviour which “would once have been condemned” was now “just another part of life”, and alleged the media had failed to call it out.
“They report on this like it’s fair game, like it’s normal. But nothing about this is normal,” Ms Allan said.
“If you don’t take a stand against this creeping culture, it has a tendency of taking over. You only have to look at America to know that.
“I cannot stand back and let Victoria become a place where this sort of language is fair game against any woman at work – or any woman in leadership. “If we don’t draw a line, the line will keep moving. ” Ms Allan said she wanted her children to grow up knowing that “women deserve the same respect as men”.
“And, I want boys to know that they don’t have to put women ‘in their place’ to make their own way in the world. Sexism hurts everyone. ”“This was a slogan used against me as Prime Minister fifteen years ago,” Ms Gillard wrote in a statement shared on Instagram.
“It was roundly condemned then. In the years since, my view has been that things were slowly improving for women in politics. More women are leading, sexism hasn’t gone away but it is less ferocious in the political mainstream, though social media continues to be a toxic sewer.
Ms Allan, who took over from controversial ex-premier Daniel Andrews in 2023, faces a tough fight when voters return to the polls in November amid falling popularity, controversy around infrastructure and crime, and a surge in support for One Nation. Originally published as
Newswire-News Prime Minister Crude Slogan Tough Fight Jacinta Allan Australia And New Zealand Victoria Melbourne Fair Game Oceania Contentious State Election Dan Andrews Fire Truck Political Debate Nathan Schmidt Australia Social Media Carbon Tax Attacks Women
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