Russell Crowe makes a surprise campaign appearance by editing a dramatic ad for Anthony Albanese – but viewers discover an embarrassing problem
- Russell Crowe has voiced a Labor campaign ad three weeks before the election
- The Gladiator star says: “Your voice is powerful. Your voice can change things’
- Some of the footage in the ad turned out to be stock clips shot overseas
A Labor ad campaign, commented on by Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe, uses foreign stock images filmed abroad.
The minute-long clip, voiced by the Gladiator actor, shows Mr Albanese meeting Aussies on the campaign trail, as well as stock footage of elderly Australians and a farmer in a wheat field.
The ad talks about Labor’s plan to make it better for Australians – but observant viewers discovered some of the clips were from other countries, which Labor simply bought off the internet rather than filming in Australia.
Russell Crowe (pictured with girlfriend Britney Theriot) has thrown his support behind Anthony Albanese by popping an ad for the Labor leader just three weeks before the election
The image of an elderly woman used in the ad is listed with the Shutterstock photo agency under the title “Portrait of an old lonely human who looking out the window from the window sheds light”.
These include an elderly lady filmed in the US, a man in a wheelchair filmed in Canada, and a farmer walking through wheat fields that appear to have originated in Slovenia.
The clip with the farmer and the man in the wheelchair is available from the New York photo agency Pond5.
A picture of an older woman is listed at the Shutterstock photo agency under the title “Portrait of an old lonely human who looking out the window from the window sheds light”.
Crowe – who co-owns Mr Albanese’s youth NRL team South Sydney Rabbitohs – speaks about the images that pop up on screen.
“We can do better than that. All it takes is better government with better plans,” he says.
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Labor for comment.
The ad was played at Mr Albanese’s official campaign launch in Perth on Sunday.
The Labor leader is six points ahead of Scott Morrison in the polls and is on track to form a government should the polls reflect actual election results.
Mr Albanese also used his speech in Perth to officially unveil the party’s new housing capital scheme.
This clip of a pawn featured in the ad. It is available from the New York photo agency Pond5 under the title A Medium Stabilized Shot Of An Older Farmer Walking Down The Wheat Fields. The contributor is from Slovenia
A screenshot from the Pond5 website shows the exact clip Labor used, which is available online
This clip of a man in a wheelchair appears to have been shot in Canada, attentive viewers noted. It is available from New York stock image company Pond5 entitled Old Man In Wheel Chair At Retirement Home. The contributor is from Canada
The Help to Buy program will provide 10,000 Australians with an equity contribution of up to 40 per cent of the purchase price of a new home and up to 30 per cent on an existing home.
Coalition Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said hardly anyone would take up the offer because they don’t want “Anthony Albanese sitting at their kitchen table owning part of their house”.
Mr. Albanese also pledged to build more electric vehicle charging stations with $40 million in funding, which will be matched by the NRMA — as well as a hydrogen fueling station network on 16 busy freight routes.
Meanwhile, Mr Morrison has pledged that a further 50,000 older Australians will have access to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card if he is re-elected.
The Prime Minister will announce an increase in the income test threshold for singles from $57,761 to around $90,000 from July 1 this year to expand access to the concession card.
The pairs threshold is also raised from $92,416 to $144,000.
