Australia PM targeted with false 'absent flag' claim ahead of vote
- Published on April 11, 2025 at 07:39
- 2 min read
- By Ara Eugenio, AFP Australia
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"The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese calls the date for the federal election. The Australian flag is not present," reads a post on X shared March 28, 2025.
"In its place are flags representing 3% of Australians. You can either vote for the Australian flag or for this Australian flog."
The image in the post appears to show Albanese announcing the next election with only the Aboriginal flag on his right and the Torres Strait Islander symbol to his left (archived here and here).
Albanese's governing centre-left Labor Party clings to a one-seat majority and polls suggest a large chunk of voters harbour doubts about the incumbent premier.
One of Albanese's flagship policies was a national referendum that aimed to give greater constitutional recognition to Indigenous Australians, who make up an estimated 3.8 percent of the total 26 population (archived link)
That vote ended in a stinging defeat.
Similar posts have also circulated on Facebook but the rumours were earlier debunked by Australian media organisation AAP Fact Check (archived link).
A keyword search on Google found Albanese's election announcement livestreamed on the YouTube channel of broadcaster ABC on March 28 (archived link).
The wide-angle footage reveals the two blue ensign flags positioned on both sides of the prime minister.
AFP photos of the press conference taken by photographer Mike Bowers also clearly show the flag.
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