(Matt Hampson’s post from THE SKY NEWS AUS on 22 March 2026.)
‘He
should read the tea leaves’: Anthony Albanese deeply unpopular across Australia
after mosque heckling. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's reception at the
Lakemba mosque has highlighted his deep unpopularity among broad sections of
the country, Barnaby Joyce says.
Anthony
Albanese has united broad sections of Australia in their disapproval of his
leadership after he was heckled and booed at a Western Sydney mosque. The Prime
Minister and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were met with hostility during a
visit to Lakemba Mosque for Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan.
Protesters shouted at the senior Labor figures after prayers concluded, with one calling Mr Albanese’s appearance a “disgrace”. Questioned about the mosque incident, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce on Sunday offered a blunt four-word assessment of Mr Albanese’s leadership: “He can’t do it”.
“In
Souths versus Easts, he comes unstuck and he doesn't go too well anywhere
else,” Mr Joyce told Sky News, referencing the Prime Minister joining thousands
of fans by walking onto the pitch during the Roosters vs Rabbitohs NRL clash
last week. “He should read the tea leaves. Things aren't going too well for old
Albo.”
Sky News host Rita Panahi said the Prime Minister had “brought the country together” in opposition to his leadership. “Basically, everyone hates him,” Panahi said. She said the Jewish and now Muslim communities were "upset with him" in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. "The left’s upset with him (and) the Right, I mean he has somehow managed to unify Australians from all walks of life. So, for that Prime Minister, I say well done, keep it up.”
Mr
Albanese has failed to improve his approval ratings in the months since the
Bondi massacre. In the latest Sky News Pulse / YouGov poll, 54 per cent of
those surveyed said they were dissatisfied with his performance, compared to 38
per cent who approved. It handed the Prime Minister a net approval rating of
minus 16.
Hours after being heckled at the mosque and receiving an unceremonious reception outside, the Prime Minister attempted to downplay the incident. Mr Albanese denied suggestions he was rushed out of the mosque and insisted the reception was "incredibly positive".
"I’ve
seen some of those reports and they’re simply not accurate," he said. "There
were over 30,000 people at Lakemba this morning, overwhelmingly the reception
was incredibly positive. I walked through the crowd to the mosque and not a
single person heckled.
"There
were a couple of hecklers inside, they were dealt with. Contrary to what has
been suggested no one was rushed out, we just sat there, it was dealt
with."
Sky
News host James Morrow said the Prime Minister was gaslighting Australians. "I
think it's just unbelievable that he can gaslight Australian people like
this," Morrow said on Outsiders on Sunday.
Meanwhile,
Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth downplayed the
confrontation in Lakemba. “Obviously, people in Australia get to have their say
that sometimes can be heckling. It's not the first time a politician has been
heckled,” Ms Rishworth told Sky News on Sunday. “So look, I think we shouldn't
make this more than it actually was.”
It
comes after chants of "shame", "Allahu Akbar" and
"genocide supporters" could be heard during a speech by Gamel Kheir,
a senior figure with the Lebanese Muslim Association, during the visit. "Why
is he here? Get him out of here. It’s a disgrace," one man shouted.
