Gillard 'disgusted' by 'ditch the witch' ads as One Nation tops Newspoll

Former prime minister Julia Gillard said she was "disgusted" after a Melbourne brothel owner admitted funding billboards urging Victorians to "Ditch the Witch", a slogan Gillard said was used against her fifteen years ago. Franco Puleo told the paper the ads were not a "political" statement but reflected "basically what the Victorian public feel"; Gillard said she was saddened to see progress for women in politics "cast aside" and called social media "a toxic sewer".

A Newspoll put One Nation ahead of Labor, with One Nation on 31% and Labor on 30%, the Coalition at 18%, the Greens at 11% and others at 10%. The survey sampled 1,240 voters online, has a 3.2-point margin of error and was conducted between Monday and Thursday last week.

Prof Richard Scolyer, the world‑renowned cancer researcher and former Australian of the Year, has died at the age of 59.

Australia, Melbourne, Victoria

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