With less than six months remaining until Victoria’s hotly contested state election, Premier Jacinta Allan has publicly decried a misogynistic political attack targeting her, using the incident to sound the alarm over what she calls the growing corrosiveness of Australia’s political discourse. The attack, uncovered Friday evening in Melbourne’s central business district, came in the form of a mobile billboard displaying the derogatory slogan “Ditch the Witch” — a phrase with a well-documented history of sexist targeting of female Australian leaders, having first been deployed against former Prime Minister Julia Gillard during the divisive 2011 carbon tax debate. This is not the first time Allan has faced such vitriolic abuse: earlier this year, she was targeted with an even cruder misogynistic slogan printed on a fire truck at a public rally. Taking to social media to call out the latest incident, Allan made clear that while political disagreement is a natural and legitimate part of democratic governance, open sexism has no place in public debate. “People are entitled to disagree with me. That’s democracy,” the premier told reporters and followers. “But I care that this attacks women. And I care about who’s next. The political debate in this country has become corrosive over the last few years.” Allan framed the mobile billboard as part of a covert, well-funded opposition campaign, noting that rhetoric and behavior that would have been broadly condemned by all political sides decades ago is increasingly being normalized as just another campaign tactic. She specifically called out media outlets for failing to push back against this trend, arguing that many outlets treat the derogatory attacks as acceptable political theater rather than the harmful escalation they represent. “They report on this like it’s fair game, like it’s normal. But nothing about this is normal,” 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.” The premier stressed that she would not step aside and allow the normalization of misogynistic language targeting women in leadership, or any working woman across the state. “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,” she said. “If we don’t draw a line, the line will keep moving.” Beyond the immediate political context, Allan tied the incident to her broader vision for gender equity, explaining that she wants to build a state where young girls do not feel pressured to lower their career ambitions to avoid harassment, and young boys are taught that misogyny is never an acceptable path to success. “I want my children to grow up knowing that women deserve the same respect as men,” she said. “I want girls to know that they should never need to aim lower just to feel safer. 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.” Allan, who replaced long-serving, controversial former premier Daniel Andrews when she took office in 2023, is heading into the November election facing steep political headwinds. Her government has seen dropping approval ratings amid ongoing controversy over large-scale infrastructure projects and rising public concern over crime rates, while the far-right One Nation party has posted notable gains in voter support in recent months. In recent days, the Bendigo-based MP has also faced internal and public questions about the future of her leadership ahead of the poll.
‘Corrosive’: Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan calls out sexist ‘Ditch the Witch’ Melbourne campaign
