Topics: News, Politics, Barack Obama
Former US President Barack Obama said the world would be a better place if women ran it, even for just a few years.
During his tour in Australia, he spoke about strength in leadership and navigating the future.
That's when the ex-leader of the free world touched upon women in politics.
“I am actually convinced that if we could try an experiment in which every country on Earth was run by women for just like two years...I am confident the world would tilt in a better direction,” he said at Sydney’s International Convention Centre, as per the Herald Sun.
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His comments were met with cheers and applause; however, Obama was quick to downplay his remarks.
“Before you cheer, I’m not saying you guys don’t do crazy things either, so don’t clap yourself too much on the back,” he said.
“I’m in a household of three women and so I’ve seen some stuff out of you.”
The 61-year-old also visited Melbourne, where he reflected on his ‘deep despair’ for failing to overhaul gun laws during his tenure in the White House.
The remarks also came just after the Nashville school shooting.
“My biggest regret and disappointment in my presidency was that I could not overcome the clout of arms manufacturers, the paranoia and suspicion of certain gun owners, I couldn’t break this strange fixation on guns and weaponry in the United States that is unique among at least economically advanced nations,” he said, as per the Herald Sun.
“We tolerate kids routinely being killed. Certainly, poor kids, black kids. Latino kids, everything.”
He added that following Sandy Hook, despite many of the victims coming from affluent white families, he knew Republicans wouldn’t change their stance.
“There was a deep despair and a sense of maybe there’s a futility here,” he said.
At the one-night speaking event, Obama also spoke about climate change, tensions with China and the war in Ukraine.
The Guardian reported Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy was expected to give the welcome to country; however, she was kicked out of the event for being ‘too difficult’.
The event’s organisers reportedly removed her after she asked for a support person to help her at the event and asked if she could provide Obama with a gift as a cultural practice.
In a statement, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation said: “She was told that she was being ‘too difficult’ and was removed from event proceedings.
“This is a deep offence to the Wurundjeri people and to all First Nations people.
“Our Welcome to Country protocols are our traditional law and practice that have been used to welcome and offer protection to our guests on Wurundjeri lands for millennia.”
The organizers of the event have since apologised, according to The Age.
“Aunty Joy has accepted Growth Faculty’s invitation to perform Welcome to Country at a business lunch taking place in Melbourne today," the statement said.
“Due to security requirements, the organisation was unable to accommodate last-minute changes to the agreed upon ceremony [on Wednesday].”
