The Newcastle Herald has issued an apology after publishing a transphobic advertisement from Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots party on its front page. The ad, which also appeared in The Australian and The Age, sparked backlash from editorial staff and human rights organisations.
The advertisement, published on Tuesday, read:
“We must stop confusing children in schools. Give them a safe and normal environment to grow and develop in and let them decide who they are when they become adults.”
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown condemned the ad, stating:
“The ads were designed to do nothing more than stoke division and provoke outrage from a fringe political actor desperately looking for attention. They do nothing to inform debate or promote any understanding of what are complex issues that affect the most vulnerable people in our community.”
Newcastle Herald and ACM Issue Apology
The Newcastle Herald’s publisher, Australian Community Media (ACM), has since removed the ad from its digital platforms and issued a public apology:
“ACM and the Herald apologise unreservedly to our readers, the transgender community and to the Newcastle community more broadly for any hurt and distress caused by the publication of the advertisement.”
The statement added:
“We support freedom of speech and a diversity of views, but on this occasion, we let our readers and our staff down.”
Nine Entertainment Defends Its Decision
However, Nine Entertainment, which publishes The Age, defended its choice to run the ad. In a letter to staff on Wednesday, the company argued that rejecting a political advertisement could be seen as endorsing the ones they do choose to run:
“If we were to start picking and choosing which platforms of a registered political party were acceptable, that could imply endorsement of any political ads we did choose to run, and would insert our organisation into the political debate as a participant rather than observer.”
Despite internal opposition, The Age ran an article above the ad calling Clive Palmer “a persistent wart on the foot of Australian politics”—a move that many readers saw as contradictory, given that the paper still accepted his money.
Palmer’s Growing Election Advertising Blitz
The Trumpet of Patriots party has launched a widespread advertising campaign across major Australian newspapers, including The Australian, Daily Telegraph, and several Western Australian papers.
On Monday, the party ran two other controversial front-page banners:
- “We don’t need to be welcomed to our own country.”
- “Too much immigration destroys infrastructure.”
With the federal election approaching, Palmer appears to be ramping up his media presence, pledging to spend even more than the $100 million his previous political party spent in the 2022 election.
His strategy mirrors that of Donald Trump, whose Republican Party spent more than $65 million on transphobic television ads during the last US election campaign.
As Palmer’s advertising blitz gains momentum, it’s likely that similar controversies will continue in the lead-up to the Australian election.
