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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that his long-standing electorate office in Sydney’s inner-west has shut down due to ongoing demonstrations by pro-Palestinian activists.
Albanese, representing the Grayndler district, shared on Sunday that the lease was not renewed, leading to the closure of the Marrickville location.
He indicated on Monday that they are actively seeking a new location to move the office.
“The situation just became too difficult for everyone involved,” he stated.
According to Albanese, the protests disrupted attendees of a nearby church, interfering with their services.
“The office shared a parking area with the church, making it difficult for congregants to use their own parking lot,” Albanese explained.
“There were instances of people being harassed during funerals. It’s baffling to me how anyone believes their cause is furthered through such actions.”
Protesters have ‘repeatedly blocked access’
Albanese had earlier said that over the past two years, “aggressive protesters have repeatedly blocked access to the electoral office for people seeking assistance”.
The Marrickville office became a focal point for pro-Palestinian demonstrations against the conflict in Gaza, frequently hosting people displaying signs urging government intervention.
At one point, a makeshift sit-in outside the office became a round-the-clock exercise, with people camping out overnight.
Reports indicate the office was spray-painted with phrases like “Free Gaza” and “Free Palestine,” which NSW Police at the time classified as “malicious damage.”
Office closure is ‘very sad’, Marles says
Speaking with ABC radio on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the office closure is “very sad”.
“I think the kind of protests that we’ve seen outside of the prime minister’s electoral office over the last couple of years have been a complete disgrace,” he said.
“It does nothing to advance the arguments associated with any of these issues. It really, I think, ends up being much more about the protesters than the cause that they pretend to espouse.”
The electoral office on Marrickville Road was first opened by former prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1993, as the office of Jeannette McHugh, who was the MP for Grayndler at the time.
Albanese has been the local member since 1996.
