Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she was disgusted by "ditch the witch" advertisements targeting Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan [1].
The condemnation highlights ongoing tensions regarding the treatment of women in Australian politics and the rise of right-wing populism in Victoria. This backlash comes as a new poll shows One Nation currently ahead of Labor [1].
Gillard said the campaign was a sexist and tired old trope that vilifies the premier [1]. The advertisements, which use the phrase "ditch the witch," have drawn widespread criticism for relying on gendered attacks rather than policy-based debate.
The timing of the controversy coincides with a shift in the political landscape in Melbourne. While the Labor party continues to manage the state, the latest polling data indicates a surge in support for One Nation [1]. This trend suggests a growing appetite for the party's platform among certain segments of the Victorian electorate.
Critics of the ads argue that the language used to target Premier Allan is designed to diminish her authority through personal vilification. The use of such tropes is viewed by supporters of the premier as an attempt to distract from the actual issues facing the state, including the housing crisis, by focusing on the gender of the leader [1].
Labor has not yet released a detailed response to the specific polling numbers, but the public condemnation from Gillard adds significant weight to the argument against the campaign's tactics. The former prime minister, who famously faced similar gendered attacks during her own tenure, said such rhetoric remains a barrier to professional political discourse [1].
“Julia Gillard said she was ‘disgusted’ by the ‘ditch the witch’ advertisements”
The convergence of gendered political attacks and the rise of One Nation in Victoria suggests a volatile electoral environment. The use of 'witch' tropes reflects a persistence of sexist rhetoric in campaign strategies, while the polling shift indicates that Labor may be losing ground to right-wing populism during a period of social and economic instability.
