Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on May 3 that the country’s election date is ahead of the flags of the Blue Lieutenant, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. The post, incorrectly claimed that the first symbol did not exist, shared a cropped image from the event.
“Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calls for a date for the federal election. The Australian flag is not there.”
“Instead of being a flag representing 3% of Australians. You can vote for the Australian flag or vote for Australia’s whip.”
The images in the post appear to show Albanese announcing the next election with only the Aboriginal flag on the right and the Torres Strait Islander symbol on the left (archived here and here).
Screenshot of a fake post, taken on April 11, 2025.
Albanese ruled a seat in the left-wing Labor Party, and polls showed that most voters were suspicious of the current prime minister.
One of Albanes’ flagship policies is a national referendum that aims to provide greater constitutional recognition to the Aboriginal Australians, with Aboriginal Australians accounting for 3.8% of the 26 population (archived link)
The vote ended with a stinging failure.
Similar posts were also distributed on Facebook, but rumors were earlier debunked by the Australian media organization AAP fact check (archive link).
A keyword search on Google found that on March 28, Albanese’s election announcement (archive link) was announced on broadcaster ABC’s YouTube channel.
The wide-angle lens reveals two blue lieutenant flags located on either side of the Prime Minister.
Comparison of screenshots of fake posts (L) and ABC live broadcast
AFP photos of the press conference taken by photographer Mike Bowers also clearly show the flag.
AFP photos show Australian flag behind Anthony Albanese
