If you want to know how desperate Sussan Ley’s attempt to slam Anthony Albanese for wearing a t-shirt was, here is some of Zoe McKenzie, usually a fairly sensible member of the Liberal party, trying to defend Ley’s speech making it an issue. This was from Afternoon Briefing on the ABC yesterday.

McKenzie:

Yeah. Look, the point is – he’s a man of a certain age. Get out of the T-shirts, trying to look cool, I say. And particularly the really ill chosen ones, right? Most people know that that is a reference to what happened in Nazi concentration camps. You just don’t wear it.


Host: I don’t think most people do.

McKenzie:

Really? Well the Prime Minister clearly did, because he discussed it in a podcast in 2022 so maybe just leave that one at home and get a different one. He was in America, I’m sure I could pick up different ones, or better yet, wear an Australian band.


(That’s how you know the talking points went out to the Coalition MPs, which is usually part of damage control – it would have included Albanese talking about Joy Division at one point. Given the podcast was referenced in some of the media reports and that’s not something most journalists would jump to looking up themselves, you can bet it was also part of the shit sheet sent out by her office as well (we are not on the list, so can’t say for sure). And he is a baby boomer, so of course he would know the origins of the band’s name. It was a pretty popular band in Australia and topped the first versions of the Triple J hottest 100 two years in a row with Love Will Tear Us Apart – back when people had to physically write in with their votes.)

Host: An Australian band. It’s a good point, but, but is it really worth Sussan Ley standing up in the parliament before Question Time to raise it?

McKenzie: 

I suspect she’s had a lot of correspondence today, whether it’s emails or text messages about people telling them how offended, how offended they were by him wearing it. It’s not it’s not hard to pick a different T-shirt.

Sure, sure, sure. Australians are notoriously annoyed by bands.

Host: Cancel culture, you’re not into that? 

McKenzie: 

But he’s the Prime Minister. No, I’m not into that, but he’s the Prime Minister. And again, I’d say the crime is actually wearing band T-shirts when you’re a man of a certain age. But nevertheless, he could have picked a better one. 

Host: Okay, you think the crime is wearing band T-shirts –

McKenzie 

Trying to be cool when you’re not.

This is what they are left with now. There is back and forth lamenting their Gen Z kids thinking older people are losers (they are not wrong on this) and then we get to Labor MP Patrick Gorman who is asked to defend the prime minister wearing a band t-shirt.

WTF is wrong with us.

Gorman:

I try and not comment on my colleagues’ clothing at the best of times. I think it’s a band T-shirt of a band that he has been very open he is a fan of. I think that is okay for the Prime Minister to like a band, a well-loved band – their music has been around for a few decades now –

Host: But even as he has discussed that it was raised with him. I mean, you know, I don’t know if there should be a Royal Commission into this, but is it bad judgement?

Gorman: 

I thought it was an odd speech from Sussan Ley to give just before Question Time. She could have given a speech where she finally showed some appreciation for the important work we have done for Australian jobs on the world stage. She chose not to do that. I think the fact that we’re sitting here debating a T-shirt for a band that millions of Australians love. ‘Love will Tear us Apart,’ that is a well-liked song. I think the fact we’re debating this is – there are big issues in the world, I don’t think band T-shirts of mainstream bands is one of them.

F*ck me.