I choose to fight them, not barrack for the bullies
In Melbourne, a truck-mounted billboard depicting Premier Jacinta Allan as a witch has become a flashpoint for an older and deeper question: whether political criticism of women in power can be disentangled from the language of persecution. Allan, facing both a misogynist campaign and collapsing poll numbers, has chosen to name what she sees rather than absorb it quietly — echoing a reckoning that began with Julia Gillard and has never fully concluded. The episode arrives at a fragile moment, when the line between legitimate democratic dissent and weaponised hatred is being contested not just in the streets of Melbourne, but within her own party.
- A truck has circled Melbourne for weeks bearing an AI-generated image of Allan in a witch's hat — language lifted almost directly from the abuse once hurled at Julia Gillard.
- Pauline Hanson's refusal to condemn the billboard, and her suggestion that Allan deserves harsher treatment still, has sharpened the controversy into a direct confrontation over what counts as acceptable political speech.
- Allan struck back at a Tuesday press conference, calling Hanson a backer of bullies and framing the campaign as deliberate misogyny designed to exploit centuries-old prejudice against women.
- Beneath the billboard storm, Labor's primary vote has sunk to 23 percent and Allan's personal approval sits at minus 37, with caucus members quietly eyeing the final parliamentary sitting before a six-week winter recess as a window for a leadership challenge.
- Allan has dismissed spill talk as navel-gazing and declared herself 'all in,' but the numbers, the timing, and the quiet movements within her own caucus suggest the pressure is far from over.
A truck has been moving through Melbourne's streets for weeks carrying a billboard that shows Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan wearing a black pointed hat beside the words 'ditch the witch.' On Sunday, Allan named what she saw in it — not political criticism, but sexism dressed as a campaign. The phrase carries long memory: it is the same language once directed at Julia Gillard, who condemned the billboard this week alongside Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Jess Wilson.
One Nation's Pauline Hanson offered no such condemnation. Speaking on Sky News, she said she had been called a witch long before Allan, and suggested the premier deserved the treatment given rising crime, debt, and corruption allegations in Victoria's construction sector. Allan responded at a Tuesday press conference with deliberate clarity. 'Pauline Hanson chooses to barrack for the bullies,' she said. 'I choose to fight them.' She described the billboard as a calculated use of imagery designed to tap old prejudices, and said the community's pushback — including Gillard's response — had moved her. 'There's too much division, too much hate,' she said. 'What is wrong is when difference is weaponised in a sexist, misogynist, hateful way, and I'll always call that out.'
The billboard is not Allan's only crisis. A Freshwater Strategy poll published Tuesday placed Victorian Labor's primary vote at 23 percent, behind both the Coalition at 27 and One Nation at 25. Allan's personal favorability has fallen to minus 37, against opposition leader Jess Wilson's plus 15, and 62 percent of respondents said she should be replaced before November. Labor MPs have been quietly discussing a leadership spill, with parliament's final sitting before a six-week winter break being watched as a potential window for action.
Allan dismissed the speculation as 'navel gazing' and declared herself fully committed to leading Labor to the election. Deputy Premier Ben Carroll is considered the most likely challenger, though his factional position complicates his path through a left-dominated caucus. Liberal MP Matthew Guy offered the sharpest framing of all: 'Victorians aren't looking for a change in premier. They're looking for a change in government.'
A truck carrying a billboard has been rolling through Melbourne's streets for weeks, its message simple and pointed: a digitally altered image of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan wearing a black pointed hat, paired with the words "ditch the witch." On Sunday, Allan stood before cameras and named what she saw in that image—not political criticism, but sexism dressed up as a campaign.
The billboard's language echoes what Julia Gillard endured during her time as prime minister, a phrase that carries centuries of weight behind it. Gillard herself condemned it this week, as did Anthony Albanese and Victorian opposition leader Jess Wilson. But when One Nation's Pauline Hanson was asked about the controversy on Sky News, she offered no sympathy. Hanson said she'd been called a witch long before Allan, and suggested the premier deserved the treatment. "If the shoe fits, then wear it," Hanson told the network, pointing to rising crime, debt, and corruption allegations in Victoria's construction sector as justification for harsher language still.
Allan's response came at a Tuesday press conference in Melbourne. She was direct. "Pauline Hanson chooses to barrack for the bullies," she said. "I choose to fight them." She framed the billboard campaign as a deliberate choice of imagery and language designed to tap into old prejudices against women. What moved her most, she said, was seeing other women and men in the community push back. "It made my heart sing to see Julia's response," Allan said, before pivoting to a broader point: "There's too much division, too much hate. I don't have a problem if people have a different view—that's democracy—but what is wrong is when difference is weaponised in a sexist, misogynist, hateful way, and I'll always call that out."
But the billboard controversy is not Allan's only problem. Labor MPs have been quietly reviving talk of a leadership spill, and the numbers are moving against her. A Freshwater Strategy poll published Tuesday showed Victorian Labor's primary vote at 23 percent, trailing the Coalition at 27 and One Nation at 25. Allan's personal favorability has dropped five points to a net rating of minus 37—a stark contrast to opposition leader Jess Wilson, who sits at plus 15. Sixty-two percent of poll respondents said Allan should be replaced before the November election.
When asked about the spill rumors, Allan dismissed them as "navel gazing" by anonymous sources, a distraction when Victorians were focused on cost-of-living pressures. "I am absolutely determined to see this through," she said. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and I am all in for this challenge." She acknowledged that One Nation was drawing votes from both major parties and said Labor needed to listen to Victorians and act on their real concerns.
The timing matters. Parliament sits next week for the last time before a six-week winter break, and within Labor's caucus, that window is being watched as a final opportunity to mount a challenge before the November poll. Deputy Premier Ben Caroll is considered the most likely challenger, though his position in Labor's right faction raises questions about whether he could secure enough support from the left-dominated caucus to succeed. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Matthew Guy offered a reminder that the real contest isn't about who leads Labor—it's about whether Labor leads at all. "Victorians aren't looking for a change in premier," Guy said. "They're looking for a change in government."
Citações Notáveis
Pauline Hanson chooses to barrack for the bullies. I choose to fight them.— Jacinta Allan, Victorian Premier
If the shoe fits, then wear it.— Pauline Hanson, One Nation leader, on Sky News
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a billboard with a witch hat matter so much that the premier herself had to respond?
Because it's not actually about witches. It's about using old, gendered language to delegitimize a woman in power. Gillard faced the same thing. When you strip away the novelty of the AI imagery, what's left is a very old tactic.
But Hanson's point was about crime and corruption in Victoria, wasn't it? Isn't that fair game?
Fair game, maybe. But the billboard doesn't say "Allan's policies on crime are failing." It says "ditch the witch." One is an argument. The other is a dismissal dressed in sexism. Allan's saying she'll engage with the first but won't accept the second.
The polls are brutal though—23 percent primary vote, minus 37 favorability. Is the billboard really the problem, or is it a symptom?
It's both. The billboard didn't create those numbers, but it's a sign of how much space has opened up for this kind of language. One Nation at 25 percent is the real story. The witch billboard is what happens when that space exists.
So what happens next week when parliament sits?
That's when her own party might move against her. Caroll could challenge, but it's unclear if he has the numbers. Either way, Allan's running out of time to stabilize before November.
Does she actually believe she can turn this around?
She says she does. But there's a difference between what a leader says in front of cameras and what happens in a caucus room when the doors close.