Australia’s prime minister has issued an apology for making a “hurtful” remark in parliament after he mocked opposition lawmakers by questioning whether they had Tourette’s syndrome.
The comment, which was swiftly retracted, has drawn backlash from disability advocates and has been condemned as “ableist” and “despicable” by MPs from various political parties.
On Tuesday evening, Anthony Albanese returned to the chamber to seek forgiveness from Australians affected by the disorder.
“I regret saying it. It was wrong. It was insensitive and I apologise,” he said in his address.
Albanese made the taunt after facing interjections from frontbenchers, including shadow treasurer Angus Taylor, during a speech on tax changes.
“Have you got Tourette’s or something? You know, you just sit there, babble, babble, babble,” he said, responding to the interruptions.
Tourette’s syndrome is a condition that causes people to make involuntary movements or sounds, called tics.
The President of the Tourette Syndrome Association of Australia said Albanese’s comment demonstrated the need to increase awareness about the disorder.
“For him to just flippantly use it in such an offhanded manner speaks volumes… we have a lot of work to do,” Mandy Maysey told Seven News.
“If people see Albanese doing that in parliament, then it will trickle down, and people already use it as a punchline or an insult,” she added.
The Australian Greens disability spokesman Jordon Steele-John, who has cerebral palsy, criticised Albanese for “using disability as the butt of his jokes” – saying that “casual ableism is still ableism”.
Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston had earlier called the taunt “despicable” and demanded the PM apologise to the “entire Tourette’s community”.
“Mocking a disability is no laughing matter,” she wrote on X.
Research estimates that approximately one in every 100 school-aged children in Australia may have Tourette’s syndrome, while in the UK, around 1-2% of the population lives with the disorder.
Tourette’s syndrome is a genetically inherited neurological condition, meaning it can be passed down from parents to their children.