MELBOURNE — Tony Abbott, the federal Liberal party president, distributed an email to party supporters regarding the party's election strategy.
Regarding election prospects, Mr. Abbott wrote, "We certainly won’t win the next election as slaves to focus groups and being a little bit less 'woke' than Labor." He additionally stated, "As a general rule, it makes sense for parties of the right to preference each other just as parties of the left have always done." The Liberal party has previously directed supporters to allocate preferences to One Nation in the Farrer byelection and during the South Australian state election. These directions also extended to several districts for the 2025 federal election.
Meanwhile, a truck-mounted billboard displaying the phrase "ditch the witch" has been operating in Melbourne for approximately six weeks. The billboard features AI-generated images of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan wearing a black pointed hat and with facial warts. Allan commented on the campaign, stating, "Sexism just has no place in our political debate, full stop." She added, "A truck using sexist language has been driving around Melbourne as part of a secret and well-funded political campaign." Franco Puleo, a commercial establishment owner in South Melbourne, provided partial funding for the billboard campaign.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese commented on the opposition's approach to minor parties. Mr. Albanese stated, "The problem for Angus Taylor is that if he tries to out-One Nation One Nation, then they become indistinguishable, and people more and more will go towards what they see as the real thing."
In 2011, Mr. Abbott attended a political rally where participants displayed signs with the phrase "Ditch the witch."