What really happened before Anthony Albanese branded ‘liar’ over speech at domestic violence rally

A rally organiser accused Anthony Albanese of being a “liar” over his words to the crowd. Now, fresh footage of the incident has surfaced.

Extraordinary new footage has surfaced of the moment Anthony Albanese declared “I’m the Prime Minister” moments before taking the microphone at a domestic violence rally.

The Prime Minister found himself at the centre of controversy after being branded a “liar” over his words to the crowd in Canberra on Sunday.

Rally organiser Sarah Williams took issue with his claim he was not granted permission to speak to the crowd, insisting he had never formally asked.

She also claimed Mr Albanese was heard saying: “I’m the Prime Minister, I run this country” before speaking to the crowd.

Ms Williams was seen bursting into tears moments later.

Mr Albanese refused to confirm or deny he had used the eight-word phrase, despite being grilled about it during interviews on Seven, Nine, ABC and Kyle and Jackie O.

New footage, aired on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, has captured the lead-up to Mr Albanese’s controversial speech.

“Do you want me to speak or not? I’m the Prime Minister,” he could be heard asking Ms Williams as she discussed whether he should have the chance to speak.

Mr Albanese then claimed to those at the rally that he and Minister for Women Senator Katy Gallagher were denied the opportunity to speak.

Ms Williams was heard in the background responding: “That’s a lie, that’s a full out lie” before breaking down in tears as Mr Albanese continued to address the crowd.

The founder of the non-profit group What Were You Wearing became tearful as Mr Albanese continued to lay out his government’s commitment to action.

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National Rally Against Violence march organiser Sarah Williams was left in tears when the prime minster began speaking. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Ms Williams posted a statement on Instagram after the rally, claiming that Mr Albanese had not requested to speak.

“Representatives from Gallagher and Albanese’s offices both said this morning that they were sure Katy would be happy to speak. Not the prime minister,” Ms Williams said.

“Albanese’s office made it clear he was just walking and was not interested in speaking. Myself and WWYW never denied him from speaking. He never asked to speak.

“For him to not only demand he speak because he was being heckled, but lie was disgraceful.”

Thousands of people gathered across the country on Sunday to rally against gender-based violence with Mr Albanese and Ms Gallagher attending the rally in Canberra.

On Tuesday morning, Ms Williams defended her version of what was said and reaffirmed her position that the prime minister lied.

“You see, my face goes into absolute shock – the second he says that,” she told 2GB’s Ben Fordham, adding that Mr Albanese had “no concern or compassion” as she cried no more than a metre away.

She accused Mr Albanese and Ms Gallagher of swiftly taking to social media after the rally “making it look like they came to the rally and they made real amazing change.”

New video footage of the prime minister has emerged from the domestic violence rally.

The founder of the non-profit group What Were You Wearing, Ms Williams (right), accused Mr Albanese of lying and making demands to speak, which he never requested. Picture: ABC via X

“I wanted him to speak if he was going to commit to one of our demands. But he told the whole of Australia yesterday that he asked to speak,” she explained.

“He never asked to speak, and his offices and Katy Gallagher’s offices actually said that it’d be too late for him to speak.

“I said to the audience, ‘do we want him to speak?’, I wanted the audience to choose, not him.”

She then detailed the alleged words that brought her to tears.

“While I was saying that, he said, behind me, which many people heard, ‘I’m the Prime Minister, I run this country’.

“And I think that’s what really triggered me the most was the abuse of power (and) the fact that he thought that (with) his position as the prime minister, he can do whatever he wants in that moment.”

At the same time as Ms Williams appeared on 2GB with her version of what happened, Sunrise’s Nat Barr asked the PM directly if he spoke the sentence: “I am the prime minister … I run this country.”

It proved to be a yes or no question he could not answer.

“Well, that I’m not gonna get into, you know, that sort of debate,” he said.

When pressed again he added “Well, Nat, people including Channel Seven, were there for the recording of everything that went on.”

“So you’re all there – the media were all around; they heard everything that was said.”

Sarah Williams (right) was in tears next to Anthony Albanese as he addressed the crowd. Picture: X

Ms Gallagher said she had wished to speak but decided to come in support after they could not agree on the terms.

“I had wanted to speak, it was a rally in my home town, and I thought that was appropriate, but you know, there was some concern about … the five key asks that were being sought at the rally and you know, a commitment that they were seeking from us, and we weren’t able to reach agreement on how to proceed,” she told ABC’s Radio National Breakfast.

“In the end, we decided to just walk and attend the rally … as a sign of respect, and it’s a sign of solidarity with women around the country.”

Ms Williams delivered a 40-minute speech during the rally.

During her speech, she asked Mr Albanese and Ms Gallagher to indicate with a thumbs up or down if they would agree to the organisation’s demands.

The demands included to declare a domestic violence national emergency, to block the media from publishing images of victims for 48 hours, mandatory victim-blaming prevention training, alternative reporting options for victims, and increased funding.