Anthony Albanese joined TikTok but not many people noticed

“Hey TikTok, thought I’d hop on here to let you know the big news that we’re announcing today,” he said. 

Since then, @alboMP has posted nearly 20 videos, although many were also posted to other platforms such as Instagram. These videos include typical TikTok aesthetic choices, including the one-word caption style and overlaid graphics used by many other creators.

A spokesperson for the government confirmed it was the prime minister’s official account: “The prime minister has accounts on multiple social media platforms. This helps him communicate and engage directly with Australians on issues that matter most to them,” they said.

So far, his presence on the platform has gone mostly unnoticed. The account has around 8,700 followers — a relatively small amount. Peter Dutton joined in October last year and has amassed 26,000 followers in that time.

Searching TikTok for “Anthony Albanese” doesn’t show his official account. That’s likely because the account’s nickname matches the username — AlboMP — and doesn’t actually include his full name (instead, the top result for “Anthony Albanese” is @albompanthony, which has 3,456 followers and just reposts videos from Albanese’s official account). 

Many of @albomp’s videos have fewer than 20,000 views — a modest number for a figure as well known as Albanese — although a few have received hundreds of thousands of views.

The top comments on many of the videos are overwhelmingly critical of Albanese. For example, his first video’s top comments are “Pauline Hanson on [top emoji]” and “Peter Dutton [blue heart emoji]”. (This isn’t necessarily indicative of the users’ mood towards Albanese. Other creators or the algorithm will often corral people towards content they will engage with out of disagreement.)

In September, Albanese chirped at Dutton for joining the platform, accusing him of hypocrisy over using TikTok having earlier called for the government to ban it for national security reasons. 

The Albanese government also has a history with the platform; banning it from government devices, forcing it to restrict teens under 16 from using it, and announcing plans to include it under the reworked news media bargaining “incentive”. (Albanese has been captured at least once dancing for TikTok in 2020).

Nevertheless, Albanese’s presence on the platform shows how TikTok has cemented its place as a key platform for online campaigning. The 2022 federal election was the first Australian contest where the platform played a significant role, viewed as friendly territory for Labor. But the US 2024 presidential election showed that the platform wasn’t inherently a progressive space, with MAGA TikTok influencers credited as playing a role in Trump’s victory.

Despite the US TikTok ban which still looms large, there’s no push in Australia to restrict the app. Albanese’s decision to join the platform suggests that it is safe — at least for now.

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