Several Facebook posts claim Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for the word ‘pedophile’ to be replaced with ‘minor-attracted persons’ in an attempt to lessen stigma.
This is false. The original post is from a parody Twitter account, not the prime minister’s official account.
Several Facebook posts have shared a screengrab of a tweet supposedly issued by Mr Albanese, such as here (archived here) and here. Others quote the tweet without the screengrab.
The original tweet, dated July 25, 2022, reads: “I would like to insist the importance of using the term ‘minor-attracted persons’ instead of ‘pedophile’ because it’s less stigmatizing. The term ‘groomer’ is also offensive and should be banned.”
But the Twitter account identified in the screengrab is @AlboMP_, ending with an underscore, not @AlboMP, which is the prime minister’s official account. The parody account has 1600 followers, and Mr Albanese’s official account has more than 645,000.
Social media users aren’t the only ones who have been confused by the parody. The ABC’s Media Watch took presenters from Sydney radio station 2SM to task for quoting it as an official tweet from the prime minister after it was sent in by a listener.
Media Watch noted the parody account clearly says in its profile: “Anthony Albanese ➐ Australian Labor Parody”. The profile also says: “Fake Prime Minister of Australia. Member for Grayndler. Unauthorised by Anthony Albanese, Australian Labor Parody, Canberra.”
The screengrab used in the Facebook posts omits the complete Twitter handle, which clearly identifies the account as parody.
On March 15, the parody account retweeted the Media Watch story along with the words: “The jig is up. I know I may have seemed like the Prime Minister, as I wear a suit and travel the world, but I’ve actually just been a parody all along.”
The Verdict
The claim Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted calling for pedophiles to be referred to as ‘minor-attracted persons’ is false.
The tweet came from a parody account, not the official account of the prime minister.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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