Politics

Aussies Are Celebrating Working Class Mums After The Daily Telegraph Attacked Shorten’s Mother

#MyMum has gone viral on Twitter, as Aussies are sharing stories of the people who raised them.

by Joseph Earp  9 May 2019
The Daily Telegraph attack on Bill Shorten has spawned the MyMum hashtag

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A few days ago, in what can only be described as a massive overestimation of how much mudslinging the Australian public are willing to take, The Daily Telegraph went after the mum of Labor leader Bill Shorten.

The attack was prompted by an emotional story that Shorten told on this week’s Q&A concerning his late mother, who put off her dream of becoming a lawyer and took up work as a teacher instead, so as to raise a young family. In response, The Daily Telegraph published an article headlined “Mother Of Invention”, in which they accused Shorten of deliberately withholding that his mother did eventually become a lawyer later in life.

For his part, Shorten responded to the attack in a teary speech and told assembled reporters the story of his mum’s life.

“She finally realised her dream and qualified as a barrister in her late 50s,” Shorten said. “Mum was never bitter. She had a remarkable life and she felt very fortunate. But because of her financial circumstances, she didn’t get all of the opportunities she deserved.”

Now, inspired by the openness and honesty that Shorten has displayed in response to the attack on his mother, people are taking to the internet to share their own stories about the people who raised them.

Using the MyMum hashtag, Australians from all walks of life are going deep on what it was like to be raised by parents willing to take odd jobs, make sacrifices, and put their own dreams on the line in order to do the absolute best by their children.

Some politicians have even gotten involved with the MyMum hashtag — Senator Penny Wong, Shorten’s Labor compatriot, has shared her own story of the woman who raised her.

The message is clear — even in an election season, there are certain political lines that should just never be crossed.