Joe Hildebrand: Political correctness gone mad as anti-woke Libs out to cancel PM

Maybe it’s time for all of us to ditch our outrage addiction and focus on the things that are truly outrageous, writes Joe Hildebrand.

If we could power the planet using pure hypocrisy, we’d never have to worry about climate change again. There has been so much performative pearl-clutching emanating from Canberra this week that you could fly a hot-air balloon on the gasps of outrage alone.

Only in the capital’s infamous bubble could a parliamentary sitting day that started with a focus on paying tribute to the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust end with Liberal politicians protesting how offended they were that Anthony Albanese jokingly questioned if one of their interjectors had Tourette’s syndrome.

Never mind the fact that the Prime Minister immediately withdrew the comment and apologised, never mind that he re-entered the chamber hours later to make an even more fulsome apology. No, this outrage could not stand! He must be cancelled, crucified and re-educated.

And all of this from the side of politics that claims to be pro-free speech and anti-woke. You honestly couldn’t make it up. One might say it’s political correctness gone mad.

Of course, you can understand the fury and frustration that censorious left-wing keyboard warriors are constantly trying to destroy conservative figures who make similar gaffes, including Scott Morrison’s clumsy comment that he and his wife were “blessed” not to have had children with a disability.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison was the target of left-wing keyboard warriors for his clumsy comment that he and his wife were “blessed” not to have had children with a disability. Picture: Rohan Thomson/Getty Images

But that doesn’t legitimise stooping to the same levels of hypocrisy just because the boot’s now on the other foot.

Just as the leftist cancel culture mob are being hypocritical in their silence, the supposed freedom-loving anti-PC Right are just as hypocritical in their hysteria.

The supposed freedom-loving anti-PC Right are just as hypocritical in their hysteria by going after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jokingly asked if an interjector had Tourette’s syndrome. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Consider just one X user who was the first to pop up when I checked out the inevitable trending topic as the story was breaking.

His first of several posts on the issue was: “Albo mocking people with a disability in parliament today. Has he no respect for anyone in this country?”.

Fair enough – we all want more respect in public debate, don’t we?

The only slight catch is the tut-tutting at the supposed lack of respect shown by Albo was merely the latest in a steady stream of tweets in which the commenter called the PM a “clown”, a “commie dictator” who was “hated by all” and a “piss weak PM” who should be blasted to another planet.

He also called the Greens a “dropkick party of imbeciles and bludgers”, so I’m not saying he’s always wrong.

Of course, the commenter should be free to say whatever they like about politics and politicians – but it’s just a bit rich to accuse the PM of a lack of respect with such a history of colourful commentary themself.

And that’s just one random example among endless others of the supposed champions of freedom or crusaders against wokism and political correctness falling into the same trap when it’s the other side of politics in the firing line.

And this is despite Albanese openly rejecting the Left’s preoccupation with policing language.

As opposition leader, he famously declared to me – in a story splashed on the front page of The Daily Telegraph – that he was not woke. And he certainly made good on that promise this week!

And after becoming Prime Minister, he told free-speech warrior Piers Morgan that he was deeply opposed to cancel culture.

This was at a time when the Left was the chief culprit in trying to cancel people for wrong-speak. It is beyond irony that the Right is now trying to cancel a PM who stood up to his own side on free speech for such a minor verbal transgression. For the record, I have a bit of personal experience around disability and mental illness. My brother was profoundly intellectually disabled with a rare disease that led ultimately to his death. My best friend, by contrast, is the smartest man I know – and also happens to be a C4 quadriplegic.

Uproar in parliament ended up sidelining genuine public debate over an unthinkable terrorist atrocity. Picture: Amir Levy/Getty Images

I’m not sure which of them I have heard use more profane language but it would be a pretty tight race.

As for Tourette’s, I was lucky enough to know Australia’s most famous sufferer – the brilliant and legendary Sydney Morning Herald journalist Malcolm Brown.

I can’t pretend we were close friends, but after I first arrived in Sydney as a cadet a quarter of a century ago, we covered a few stories together and shared a few taxis.

Not only did he have the most perfect shorthand I have ever seen, he also delivered the funniest story about any newsroom I’ve heard. Rest assured, it was wholly deliberate and wholly unrepeatable – the very antithesis of political correctness.

And let’s not forget that this whole uproar ended up sidelining genuine public debate over an unthinkable terrorist atrocity. It’s a bit like standing next to a dead body and complaining about a stubbed toe.

So, for the sake of principle and proportion and downright decency, maybe it’s time for all of us to ditch our outrage addiction and focus on the things that are truly outrageous.

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Originally published as Joe Hildebrand: Political correctness gone mad as anti-woke Libs out to cancel PM