Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott was reminded this week of a racist slur made in federal parliament against the Greek community’s contribution to the Australian Labor Party in 2006. The comments were withdrawn from parliament due to their racist connotations.
On February 28 2006, Mr Abbott, then Minister for Health and Ageing, said in question time: “I read in The Australian last Friday that he [a Labor MP] still has the Greek branches but he has lost the Spanish branches, the Vietnamese branches as well as the Cambodian branches. I could not help but think, ‘Are there any Australians left in the so-called Australian Labor Party today?'”
Speaking at a pre-election rally in Western Sydney this week, Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese referenced the speech and said that it shows Tony Abbott “hides who he is from Australian people”. In his talk, he claimed Mr Abbott only fronts the public when he has a carefully scripted speech.
After the comment was made in parliament, Mr Albanese asked the speaker back in 2006 to withdraw Mr Abbott’s comments.
“The minister should withdraw that extraordinarily outrageous slur on every Australian who does not have an Anglo-Celtic name in this country. We have heard the dog whistle from this mob one after the other, but this minister, as usual, has gone too far and I ask him to withdraw it,” said Mr Albanese.