- The Daily Telegraph
- January 26, 2012
- 161 comments
My name is Anthony Albanese and I
plagiarised The American President
movie script
RED-faced MP Anthony Albanese this morning made sure he chose his words carefully when he welcomed new Australians at citizenship ceremonies around his electorate.
Perhaps in a sign his speechwriter is out of favour, Mr Albanese chose to speak off the cuff rather than with the assistance of palm cards when orating at the ceremonies.
Speaking outside Leichardt Town Hall this afternoon, Mr Albanese admitted he hadn't seen the movie and tried to poke fun at his gaffe.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen the show to be honest, I'm a bigger fan of The West Wing."
"To paraphrase Jack Nicholson, the coalition can't handle the truth about Tony Abbott."
While he admitted the mistake was embarrassing, Mr Albanese said his speechwriter wouldn't cop all of the blame.
"We will discuss these things, but it's my name on the door at the end of the day."
Speaking outside Leichardt Town Hall this afternoon, Mr Albanese admitted he hadn't seen the movie and tried to poke fun at his gaffe.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen the show to be honest, I'm a bigger fan of The West Wing."
"To paraphrase Jack Nicholson, the coalition can't handle the truth about Tony Abbott."
While he admitted the mistake was embarrassing, Mr Albanese said his speechwriter wouldn't cop all of the blame.
"We will discuss these things, but it's my name on the door at the end of the day."
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen Bowen today leapt to the defence of his parliamentary college who was yesterday caught out quoting Michael Douglas - who played American president Andrew Shepherd - in the Hollywood blockbuster.
"It was a very good speech by Minister Albanese yesterday,’’ he said.
"I think it very clearly outlined the differences in the approach to the big issues in Australia between the government, the opposition and the greens on the other hand.’’
Mr Bowen said Mr Albanese should be given credit for admitting the error, which was made in a televised address to the National Press Club.
He declined to say whether any staffers had been disciplined over the gaffe.
"Minister Albanese has been man enough to admit that there was a mistake,’’ he said.
"I think people should acknowledge that he's admitted the error.
"It takes a lot to admit an error, Mr Albanese is a big man."
When the Daily Telegraph asked Mr Bowen what Hollywood heroes he might like to imitate in a speech, he said he had none.
"My heroes tend to not be Hollywood," he said.
Mr Bowen admitted to being a fan of the movie "but I think the point is that there was an error Anthony has acknowledged that error and that's as appropriate.
"Anthony has admitted there was a mistake, he's admitted so in a way in which I think people would acknowledge as being appropriate and I don't really see that there's much more to say about the matter,’’ Mr Bowen said.
Yesterday Mr Albanese ripped off a dramatic speech Douglas delivered in the hit Hollywood movie, The American President.
In his televised address to the National Press Club, the Infrastructure and Transport Ministerattacked Opposition Leader Tony Abbott with almost identical words to those Douglas used in the film.
The Liberal Party quickly rounded on the revelations after federal director Brian Loughnane spotted the lines, releasing a video of the speeches on YouTube titled "Albo, you're no Michael Douglas".
After hours of silence from his office last night, Mr Albanese did not explain the similarities - or how he thought they wouldn't be picked up - and instead tried to make light of them on Twitter.
"D'oh! Stuff up (for the record, that comes from another great American, Homer Simpson)," he tweeted.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard also attempted to play down the gaffe with humour, tweeting: "And speaking of actors - I love Michael Douglas because he's married to a Welsh woman. @AlboMPs not bad either. JG."
But manager of opposition business Christopher Pyne said pinching lines from a romantic comedy was embarrassing for a federal cabinet minister addressing the nation's top political forum.
"I can only hope this humiliating blunder doesn't lead to Mr Albanese being the subject of immense ridicule," he said.Mr Albanese delivered his lines like an Oscar winner - with no credit given to the film or Douglas.
"In Australia we have serious challenges to solve and we need serious people to solve them. Unfortunately, Tony Abbott is not the least bit interested in fixing anything," Mr Albanese said.
"He is only interested in two things: making Australians afraid of it and telling them who's to blame for it."
In the 1995 movie, US president Andrew Shepherd launches an emotional fightback against rival attacks during a press conference.
"We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious men to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, friend, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: Making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it," he says, before ending the speech. "My name is Andrew Shepherd and I am the President".
Mr Loughnane said: "Labor is now so unoriginal and devoid of ideas that the best Albo could do was to plagiarise an American movie."
The controversy is the latest to dog Julia Gillard's senior ministers at the club after Communications Minister Stephen Conroy dropped the F-word on live TV last year.
The Liberal Party quickly rounded on the revelations after federal director Brian Loughnane spotted the lines, releasing a video of the speeches on YouTube titled "Albo, you're no Michael Douglas".
After hours of silence from his office last night, Mr Albanese did not explain the similarities - or how he thought they wouldn't be picked up - and instead tried to make light of them on Twitter.
"D'oh! Stuff up (for the record, that comes from another great American, Homer Simpson)," he tweeted.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard also attempted to play down the gaffe with humour, tweeting: "And speaking of actors - I love Michael Douglas because he's married to a Welsh woman. @AlboMPs not bad either. JG."
But manager of opposition business Christopher Pyne said pinching lines from a romantic comedy was embarrassing for a federal cabinet minister addressing the nation's top political forum.
"I can only hope this humiliating blunder doesn't lead to Mr Albanese being the subject of immense ridicule," he said.Mr Albanese delivered his lines like an Oscar winner - with no credit given to the film or Douglas.
"In Australia we have serious challenges to solve and we need serious people to solve them. Unfortunately, Tony Abbott is not the least bit interested in fixing anything," Mr Albanese said.
"He is only interested in two things: making Australians afraid of it and telling them who's to blame for it."
In the 1995 movie, US president Andrew Shepherd launches an emotional fightback against rival attacks during a press conference.
"We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious men to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, friend, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: Making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it," he says, before ending the speech. "My name is Andrew Shepherd and I am the President".
Mr Loughnane said: "Labor is now so unoriginal and devoid of ideas that the best Albo could do was to plagiarise an American movie."
The controversy is the latest to dog Julia Gillard's senior ministers at the club after Communications Minister Stephen Conroy dropped the F-word on live TV last year.
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