Fake PM quote spreads as he visits flood-hit NSW communities
Matthew Elmas
May 23, 2025
WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Anthony Albanese said he visited flood hit NSW communities by flying over them.
OUR VERDICT
False. There is no record of the PM making the statement.
AAP FactCheck – Anthony Albanese did not say he had visited flood-ravaged NSW communities by flying over them on his way back from Singapore, despite a claim on social media.
There is no record of the quote being attributed to the prime minister in social media posts, and the accompanying photo of him was first published in 2023.
Mr Albanese and Premier Chris Minns were unable to reach hard-hit Taree on May 23, 2025, after days of intense rain killed four people and isolated thousands across the NSW mid-north coast.
The claim about the PM is in a Facebook post1 featuring a blurred image of him sitting on a plane and a purported quote.
“BREAKING PM Anthony Albanese visits flood ravaged Taree & other flooded communities,” the text reads.
“My Boeing 737 flew over – on my way back from Singapore at 30,000 feet & I would like to say; ‘please stay safe’ – Albo.”
However, this is false.
A reverse image search reveals that the graphic shared on Facebook is a screenshot of an earlier post on X2.
AAP FactCheck confirmed that the photo is not recent but at least two years old, appearing in The Australian’s profile 3of Mr Albanese during his first term in office, published on May 13, 2023.
There is also no record of the PM making the statement attributed to him in the posts.
AAP FactCheck could not find the quote reported by any credible news organisation, and searching for it on the PM’s media website4 yielded no results.
There is also no evidence that Mr Albanese made such a post on X5, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube6 or BlueSky7.
Mr Albanese visited the flood-hit town of Maitland in the NSW Hunter region on May 23, 2025, where he told reporters8 he had been unable to visit Taree.
“We did try to get to Taree this morning, that was not possible due to the circumstance, which I’m sure people understand,” the PM said (timestamp four minutes 52 seconds).
Mr Albanese did not mention flying over the town.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network9. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads10, X, BlueSky11, TikTok12 and YouTube13. (AAP)
