Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has copped more than a few elbows on social media after posting a photo of himself alongside Married At First Sight contestants Jeff and Rhi in Perth.
Sharing the smiley selfie on Friday, many of the PM’s followers condemned the association and asked why he would be “supporting a show that clearly falls well short of protecting their participants”.
“I’m pro marriage- hope to have one this year!” the post was captioned. “Bumped into MAFS stars Jeff and Rhi in Perth 👩❤️👨”.
Mr Albanese was clearly hoping to support the idea of marriage in general, telling Nova radio hosts Nathan, Nat & Shaun his fiancée Jodie Haydon had introduced him to the show in anticipation of their nuptials.
“I’m pro-marriage. I hope to have one this year,” Mr Albanese told the hosts.
The PM and Ms Haydon’s wedding plans have been put on hold until he sets a date for the Federal Election, which is due to be held on or before May 17.
However, the PM’s online supporters did not see the funny side to his seemingly innocuous photo opp.
“Nice to see you support a show that is currently being investigated for violence against women…… why won’t you address the femicide that is ongoing in our country????” one person asked.
Another wrote, “Yeh, nah. This isn’t it. Supporting a show that clearly falls well short of protecting their participants. Nah.”
Former reality star, Dr Matt Agnew from The Bachelor, wasn’t sure how to digest the post.
“This feels a bit weird,” Agnew said.
Another person argued there were more deserving Aussies the PM should have considered spending time with.
“Of all the people doing amazing things in Australia and you choose to put the energy into taking a photo with these 2,” they said.
Others suggested while Mr Albanese may not have considered the impact of the ostensibly harmless post, his decision to share the photo was “tone deaf” considering the controversy surrounding MAFS.
An investigation was triggered by NSW Police when an alleged off-air incident between contestants Carina and Paul resulted in Paul punching a hole in the wall of their apartment.
Carina reflected on the groom’s behaviour in an interview with 9Entertainment, which was said to be a reaction to finding out she had engaged in sexual relations with a rapper.
“I didn’t think a comment like that would make him react so impulsively and abruptly. He was very dramatic in the moment, and I was trying to suppress the situation and calm him down,” she said.
“I wasn’t scared, I didn’t feel unsafe or uneasy. I was just really hurt, I was confused and I was sad. It was a very emotional time, and we both were in our feelings, and we both were really sad. I was disheartened by how reactive he was.”
A week after the investigation was launched on the series, it was revealed SafeWork NSW had begun a wider investigation into Channel Nine and production company Endemol Shine Australia regarding their conduct during filming.