A Melbourne brothel owner says he and other local business owners funded the "Ditch the Witch" billboards now circling the Melbourne CBD, less than a day after Premier Jacinta Allan described the campaign as a "secret and well-funded political campaign".

Franco Puleo, owner of Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne, says he and other business owners contributed $105,000 to the campaign. He has rejected the claim that the slogan is sexist.

The billboards

A billboard truck carrying the slogan "Ditch the Witch" was filmed driving around the Melbourne CBD on Friday night, the Herald Sun reported. The same phrase was used against former prime minister Julia Gillard during the 2011 carbon tax debate, when Tony Abbott was photographed standing in front of a placard carrying the line. It was widely condemned at the time as sexist.

Allan has been the target of similar material before. In 2025, a fire truck at a Melbourne rally attended by Victorian opposition leader Brad Battin and United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall carried the slogan "ditch the b***h", according to Guardian Australia. Battin spoke at the rally but did not endorse the slogan.

The Premier's response

Allan posted to X on Friday at 10.48pm.

"Sexism just has no place in our political debate, full stop. A billboard truck using sexist language has been driving around Melbourne as part of a secret and well-funded political campaign."

She said the political debate had become "corrosive", that "behaviour which would once have been condemned is now just another part of life", and accused the media of failing to call it out. She added that she wanted girls "to know that they should never need to aim lower just to feel safer".

By Saturday, the "secret" framing had unravelled. Puleo confirmed publicly that he and other Melbourne business owners had funded the campaign.

Albanese and Gillard back the Premier

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for the ads to be pulled. "No matter who you support in politics, it is completely unacceptable to demean, objectify, belittle or offend women," he said. "The sexist campaign targeting Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is a disgrace and the people behind these materials should withdraw them immediately."

Julia Gillard backed Allan on Instagram. "This was a slogan used against me as Prime Minister fifteen years ago," she wrote. "It was roundly condemned then. In the years since, my view has been that things were slowly improving for women in politics."

Hanson dismisses it

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson took a different view. "Toughen up sweetheart," Hanson said, predicting Victoria would have a new Premier within a couple of weeks.

The Victorian state election isn't until November, so the prediction wasn't a polling call. It was a reference to the leadership questions Allan's been fielding from inside her own party.

Allan under pressure

Allan replaced Daniel Andrews as Premier in 2023 and goes to the state election in November. Her leadership has been openly questioned in mainstream media in recent days. One Nation polling has climbed sharply through early 2026, with the party outpolling the Liberal Party at the South Australian state election in March. Victorian Labor has held office since 2014.

Sources: