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The Daily Aus

Why 'Ditch the Witch' is back in politics

10 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 7.086 Billi FitzSimons

Today's episode was made possible by our friends at the Department of Education Victoria. Ready? And good morning.

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7.226 - 7.968 Lily Madden

This is the Daily Aus.

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8.128 - 13.399 Billi FitzSimons

This is the Daily Aus. This is the Daily Aus. Oh, now it makes sense.

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20.652 - 24.698 Elliot Lawry

Good morning and welcome to The Daily Oz. It's Thursday the 11th of June. I'm Elliot Laurie.

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24.938 - 28.444 Billi FitzSimons

I'm Billie Fitzsimons. Wait, before we get into the podcast, can I say something?

28.484 - 29.245 Elliot Lawry

Oh God, yes.

29.625 - 35.134 Billi FitzSimons

I think I have the best titbit of all time and I would like everyone to make sure that they stick around for the titbit.

35.434 - 36.636 Elliot Lawry

Do you want to just jump ahead to the end?

36.856 - 39.3 Billi FitzSimons

I wanted to and producer Ola told me I couldn't.

Chapter 2: What does the 'Ditch the Witch' campaign signify in current politics?

155.527 - 161.916 Elliot Lawry

So Allen immediately hit out against this, said it was part of a secret and well-funded political campaign.

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162.031 - 163.974 Billi FitzSimons

And do we know who is behind it?

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164.214 - 183.482 Elliot Lawry

What we do know from Victorian newspaper The Age, it's probably the biggest newspaper in Melbourne, they found out that Melbourne brothel owner Franco Puleo admitted to helping fund it. He said it was roughly around $100,000 that he put towards this campaign. And he said that it's not sexist. He just said that he basically doesn't like Jacinta Allen.

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183.53 - 188.759 Billi FitzSimons

So it was a brothel owner who at least was partly behind it.

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188.839 - 197.614 Elliot Lawry

Yes. We don't know who else was behind it. What we do know is that the Liberal and the National Party, who's in opposition in Victoria at the moment, they said they had no involvement with it.

197.774 - 199.958 Billi FitzSimons

And he's saying that it's not sexist.

199.978 - 200.078 Elliot Lawry

Yeah.

200.198 - 213.959 Billi FitzSimons

But if we look at the context of how this phrase has been used against Julia Gillard in particular before... I mean, it was widely considered sexist. That's not really an opinion. It was seen as very misogynistic how it was used against Julia Gillard.

214.179 - 231.863 Elliot Lawry

Yeah, I think to understand it, we kind of got to go back to 2010. Neither you or I were of voting age at that time, and probably most of our audience. So they may not have been as clued in to what was going on in politics at that point in time. But they might remember some of the sentiment around Julia Gillard as a Prime Minister. So

Chapter 3: Who is behind the 'Ditch the Witch' campaign?

623.214 - 636.315 Elliot Lawry

People are entitled to disagree with me. That's democracy. But I care that this attacks women. And I care about who's next. If we don't draw a line, the line will keep moving. So very clearly. saying there that we just can't accept this kind of language in politics.

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636.596 - 647.005 Billi FitzSimons

Okay, so we know Jacinta Allen, of course, is against it. Julia Gillard, of course, is against it. What about from other politicians from across the political spectrum? Is it widely being condemned?

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647.052 - 663.691 Elliot Lawry

Yes, but there is an exception, which I will get to in just a second. The LNP, as I mentioned earlier, they have said they had no involvement in it. The opposition leader in Victoria, she also condemned the campaign, saying that sort of discourse should never be used in politics. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, he weighed in as well.

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664.252 - 683.795 Elliot Lawry

He basically called it a disgrace and said that young girls will see that depiction of a premier as a witch, just like the denigration that Julia Gillard suffered. And it's just not on. Now, as I mentioned, there is someone in politics who was a bit less sympathetic, and that's One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. She told Ellen to, quote, suck it up, sweetheart.

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683.815 - 699.233 Elliot Lawry

And she kind of pointed to the fact that she herself had been the victim of very similar attacks over the years. And I think that's actually a really sort of important button in all this. It's not just labor politicians. It is actually women in politics generally that get these really targeted gendered attacks.

699.314 - 706.384 Billi FitzSimons

So Pauline Hanson is basically saying all of us women in politics have had to deal with this. Yes. And you have to deal with it too.

706.404 - 727.335 Elliot Lawry

Yeah. And I would also argue that it's not a uniquely Australian problem. Like, I think about the presidential campaigns in the US with Kamala and Hillary before her, and there was similar language in there. Obviously, all politicians are very openly critiqued. Like, elbow gets called sleazy, elbow-neasy by some outlets and by punters online. But again, that's a more general term.

727.375 - 742.006 Elliot Lawry

Like, it's not these very... male specific terms that are being used towards male politicians where with women it is about you know, how they're positioned as mothers or using language like bitch and witch to describe them.

742.887 - 764.286 Billi FitzSimons

Yeah, I think that's a totally fair point that politicians across the world are being criticised not just on their policies, but of course for personal attributes about them. And that is across both genders. But then there are certain words that are reserved for exclusively women. And that's when it's a conversation like this that is completely warranted, I think.

Chapter 4: What historical context is important for understanding the slogan's impact?

800.136 - 801.498 Elliot Lawry

Do not disappoint us, Billie.

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801.518 - 817.22 Billi FitzSimons

Okay. Producer Ola is coming in on this as well. Hold on. Wait, let me just get it up. Okay. Sorry, I have such a smile on my face because I'm too excited. And I'm nervous that everyone already knows this. Also, by the way, this has got nothing to do with the news. This is just a random fact that I learned like two months ago.

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817.3 - 819.023 Elliot Lawry

But it's kind of your MO. You love sharing a random fact.

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819.063 - 827.119 Billi FitzSimons

Okay. I love nothing more than a random fact. Okay, you guys are obviously familiar with the song The Monster by Eminem.

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827.52 - 831.367 Elliot Lawry

Oh, no, I do know this fact, but tell the audience. I'm sorry.

831.387 - 832.129 Billi FitzSimons

No, I don't know.

832.149 - 833.591 Elliot Lawry

Okay, perfect.

833.832 - 840.966 Billi FitzSimons

I'm so sad. Okay, Ola, you're my girl. So, you know that... Wait, I'm also wondering... Okay, sorry.

840.946 - 843.391 Elliot Lawry

I'm also wondering, are you about to sing on the mic?

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