Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has made an extraordinary speech calling for an apology from the prime minister for wearing a popular rock band’s T-shirt when he touched down in Australia after last week’s visit to the United States.
Albanese was snapped disembarking from his Air Force charter jet on Thursday wearing a tee of Unknown Pleasures, the 1979 debut album of British post-punk band Joy Division.
In parliament today, Ley – who has previously spoken about her own “punk phase” she went through – gave a speech calling for Albanese to apologise for his choice of shirt, saying it was a “profound failure of judgment”.
Sussan Ley wants an apology from Anthony Albanese for wearing a Joy Division T-shirt. (Alex Ellinghausen)
“The prime minister stepped off the plane proudly wearing a T-shirt with the name of a band, Joy Division, whose origins are steeped in antisemitism,” the opposition leader said.
“The name was taken from a wing of a Nazi concentration camp where Jewish women were forced into sexual slavery.
“At a time when Jewish Australians are facing a rise in antisemitism, when families are asking for reassurance and unity, the prime minister chose to parade an image derived from hatred and suffering.”
The origins of Joy Division’s name have been well-known for some time now.
Albanese wore the shirt while disembarking from his plane last week. (Dominic Lorrimer)
Originally called Warsaw, the band changed its name, with its new moniker taken from the name given to the wings of Nazi concentration camps where women were forced into prostitution.
The band discovered the name from House of Dolls, a novella written by Holocaust survivor Yehiel De-Nur.
Some of Australia’s biggest retailers, including Knart and JB-HiFi, have sold, or continue to sell, Joy Division T-shirts.
However, Ley said Albanese should apologise for and explain why he wore the shirt.
“He cannot claim ignorance, he was told about the dark origins of this band on a podcast in 2022,” she said.
The T-shirt is sold widely across Australia. (Supplied)
“He even admitted, ‘that is very dark’… so to wear that name across your chest is not just a statement of musical taste, and it is more than bad taste, it raises questions about values.”
Albanese is currently on another diplomatic trip outside of Australia, visiting Malaysia during the ASEAN Summit.
9news.com.au has contacted his office for comment.
Formed in 1976, Joy Division split in 1980 following the death of vocalist Ian Curtis, but still influenced a raft of other bands, including U2, the Cure and Soundgarden. The remaining band members reformed as New Order.
