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January 4, 2025
The Coalition has called for Victoria's ALP state secretary Steve Staikos to face consequences in his role of approving a highly personal social media meme targeting Peter Dutton and his wife.
The Weekend Australian understands that senior Labor chiefs, embarrassed by the bipartisan storm of protest over the meme, will review the government's social media strategy next week.
On Friday, the Victorian Labor Party refused to shed light on any actions they will take to address the "gutter politics" meme that flung them into chaos over the new year, leading to calls for Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan to be more transparent in the lead-up to the state and federal elections.
The meme was scrubbed from the state government's social media accounts after the Prime Minister was forced to intervene on Monday following various attempts to contact him, but the damage had already been done.
In what has become known as a grubby political smear attack by Labor, the "egregious" meme backfired in Labor's face after the Victorian leadership initially declined to comment when approached by The Australian.
The state and federal government found itself in a crisis of its own making, with the Coalition now demanding action against Mr Staikos who is understood to have approved the post.
Opposition Home Affairs spokesman James Paterson told The Weekend Australian if Labor was sincere, Mr Staikos needed to face consequences.
"If Anthony Albanese and Jacinta Allan are sincere that this attack on Peter Dutton's family is really out of bounds, what will be the consequences for Victorian Labor state secretary Steve Staikos," Mr Paterson said.
"He not only approved the post, he even publicly defended it before it was finally taken down."
Mr Staikos, who was a longserving councillor and former four-term mayor of Kingston, declined to comment when approached by The Weekend Australian on Friday. The state government also declined to comment when asked if Ms Allan would be speaking with Mr Staikos. They were also asked if they would like to issue a public apology to Mr Dutton and his wife, to which they didn't respond.
On Thursday, Ms Allan engaged in a fiery exchange with a reporter from The Australian when asked about the delayed timing of her condemnation of the meme.
The reporter asked why the Premier had initially declined to comment and then took a full day to criticise the post.
"That's incorrect. That claim that you just made is incorrect. So you might want to rephrase that," Ms Allan said.
She also said she was "sure" the ALP's Victorian branch will review its processes to ensure the smear "doesn't happen again".
The Australian has confirmed Ms Allan's office told this masthead at about 2pm on Monday that Ms Allan would not be commenting and said it was a matter for ALP headquarters. The same answer was provided to the Herald Sun newspaper.
