Grilled on AFL team, Garma snub in first Tiwi trip

Anthony Albanese faced questions about his decision not to attend the Garma Festival during a historic first visit as prime minister to the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin. Asked on Sunday why he will not attend the major Indigenous festival in East Arnhem Land, which begins at the end of July, Albanese said he would take leave instead and added that “can’t be everywhere.” He said he has attended Garma five times as Labor leader, and has visited the Northern Territory 19 times, more than the previous three prime ministers combined. During the trip, he also conducted the coin toss for a local Australian rules match and addressed media speculation about whether a Northern Territory AFL team should be introduced within a decade. Former AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou is reportedly leading the push for a Darwin-based team. The visit included Federal Labor MP Marion Scrymgour, a Tiwi woman, who said it was a return to her “mob.”