Obama Makes Headlines in Australia for All the Wrong Reasons

SYDNEY—It was clear this week in the streets of Sydney that someone very important was in town—with extended traffic jams, increased police presence and sirens raging across the city serving to herald the arrival of former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as they embarked on a speaking tour.

But the increased delays were only the beginning of a trip plagued by headlines that seemed to dog the Obamas throughout their stay down under. They were accused of insulting a high-profile indigenous woman, angering the country’s Wurundjeri indigenous community for a “lack of understanding and respect,” while paparazzi caught the couple failing to use safety equipment while sightseeing on the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Even before his arrival, the buzz over Obama’s Australian tour was palpable, with reports of a $1 million payday for a highly anticipated series of talks with former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop raising eyebrows among conservative critics. Tickets for the events were sold for up to an eye-popping $900.

It was his first visit to the country since 2014, when the then-president visited Queensland for the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Despite the insane crowds of fans following the former president, he mostly skipped meeting with the public, confessing: “If you’re wondering why I’m not taking a stroll through Sydney, it’s not security, it’s the risk of 100 selfies at one time.” Australians could, however, purchase a “platinum package” to the “Evening With President Obama” which included “a welcome cocktail at a one-hour drinks function, a commemorative lanyard and a signed copy of Mr Obama’s book,” according to NewsWire.

Then, on Wednesday, pundits were quick to criticize both Barack and Michelle after they were snapped by paparazzi climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge without harnesses, which is a usual safety precaution for climbing the storied span. A spokesperson for Transport NSW confirmed the pair, along with their entourage, had been given “special permission” to climb the Sydney icon without wearing the jumpsuits and safety apparatus, which are required of the general public.

Transport NSW noted the climb “followed standard safety protocols that are in place for visiting dignitaries, and are regularly implemented.” Those dignitaries include Prince Harry, who did not wear the jumpsuit but did don safety apparatus during his own 2018 climb. When Oprah visited in 2010, she went for the entire package.

Obama’s speaking engagement even managed to stoke racial tensions on Thursday after revelations that the organizers of the former president’s speaking tour dumped an Indigenous elder from the event Wednesday evening, reportedly saying she was being “too difficult.”

The organizers have since apologized to Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy after canceling her appearance during Obama’s Melbourne event, asking her to instead to do a “Welcome to Country” performance at a business lunch on Thursday with the former president, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation confirmed to The Daily Beast. Aunty Joy, who as senior Aboriginal elder of the Wurundjeri people, has previously welcomed the Queen, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama, was replaced by Wurundjeri woman and Melbourne artist Mandy Nicholson.

Aunty Joy pointed the finger at event organizers and stressed, “I do not want this to be a reflection on President Obama.”