PETER VAN ONSELEN: Anthony Albanese has copped it on all fronts over his speech ... trends now
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Daily Mail Australia political editor Peter van Onselen
Having been accused of lying by the organiser of a rally against male violence towards women on the weekend, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refused to confirm or deny the allegation in two television interviews this morning.
But he didn't stop there. In a failed attempt to show empathy for Sarah Williams having thrown the L word his way, Albo dismissed the barb as the musing of an emotional woman.
'It was an emotional day,' he told Channel Nine's Today show, doing his best Scott Morrison impersonation.
Will Albo channel Morrison again and tell us tomorrow that having consulted with Jodie he now realises that wasn't the best turn of phrase he could have deployed to deflect being accused of lying?
Albo told the crowd he did ask to speak at the rally but was told that he couldn't by the organisers. Williams could be heard interjecting in disgust, exclaiming 'that's a lie, that's a full out lie' before bursting into tears.
She doubled down on the accusation on social media, also accusing the PM of using his title to 'scare a young woman into letting [him] speak', using his 'entitlement' by 'aggressively stating' when Williams asked the crowd if Albo should say a few words 'I'm the prime minister of the country, I run this country'.
Anthony Albanese is pictured during his speech at the women's march - as organiser Sarah Williams becomes visibly upset
That's quite a triumvirate of accusations for a PM to bear: aggression, intimidation and entitlement. All on the back of being called a 'liar'.
The PM has been silent on all these accusations, but that's not good enough. If he lied, he should admit it and apologise.
If it was a misunderstanding, he should tell us as much and explain how it all happened. A prime ministerial office with a cricket team of media advisers, no less, shouldn't let
