A senior Young Labor figure, previously photographed alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been suspended from his employment after allegedly organising an event to mark the death of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University in Orem on September 10 last year.
Tyler Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to a series of charges connected to Kirk’s killing, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors could seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
The controversy erupted after the left-wing parody account “Australian Child Labor” shared a now-deleted social media invitation promoting “celebration drinks” on the anniversary of Kirk’s death.
The post advertised “1st Kirkversary Celebration Drinks” and featured a smiling image of Kirk with Anthony Albanese that appeared to have been created using artificial intelligence.
The gathering was scheduled to take place at the Forest Lodge Hotel on the date marking one year since Kirk was killed.
The account is owned by William Yang, a former Sydney University Labor president, and has previously posted material ridiculing the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Yang’s personal social media profiles include a 2022 photograph with Anthony Albanese, as well as images from a Labor event posted as recently as 2026.
Young Labor member William Yang (left), who has posed for photos with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been suspended from his job with Australian Transport Workers Union
A social media account linked to Yang promoted an event mocking the death of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk
Yang is an employee at the Australian Transport Workers Union (TWU), according to his LinkedIn profile.
But the union told Our News Outlet on Tuesday that he has been suspended.
‘The TWU has been made aware that one of its employees promoted this event on social media,’ a spokesperson said.
‘The event is repugnant, it should be cancelled, the person in question will not be attending, and has been suspended from his employment.’
Yang is a prominent figure among young Labor activists.
He attended the 50th Labor Federal Conference in Adelaide, where he published an account of his time, including discussions with elected Labor officials, in the University of Sydney student publication Honi Soit.
The identification of Yang as the person behind the account comes a day after Communications Minister Anika Wells used Question Time to call for stronger protections for young Australians from harmful and extremist content on social media.
‘We want to protect and improve the lives and wellbeing of young people, and the social media ban is just the starting point,’ she said on Monday.
Yang (left) mocked the Tiananmen Square massacre
‘It’s not a ban on our kids; it’s a ban on what is being done to them.’
It is not the first time Yang’s public comments have conflicted with positions adopted by the Labor Party.
His video mocking the Tiananmen Square massacre, the historic tragedy when Chinese troops opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989, contrasts with the position of senior Labor figures including Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Wong has repeatedly condemned the event, which saw at least 200 people killed.
‘In Tiananmen Square, 35 years ago, the world witnessed the use of brutal force against student protesters in Beijing,’ she said when marking the 35th anniversary in June 2024.
‘Australia remains concerned about ongoing restrictions on freedom of association, expression and political participation in China.’
During her remarks, she called on Beijing to end what she described as the denial of basic freedoms.
‘We call on China to cease suppression of freedoms of expression, assembly, media and civil society and to release those detained for peacefully expressing their political views.’
A few months after Wong’s remarks, in November 2024, the Australian Child Labor account posted a video showing two figures, including Yang, dancing in the square and posing as though directing traffic.
It was captioned: ‘Me when a tank is driving towards me.’
Our News Outlet Australia has contacted Albanese and Wells for comment.
