Footage of Australian prime minister biting into raw onion gets mixed reaction online

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Tony Abbott surprised onlookers while on a factory visit in rural Tasmania by biting into and eating a mouthful of raw onion.



The Australian prime minister did not flinch and appeared to enjoy the taste. Footage of the onion-eating circulated widely on social media, where the reaction has been mixed.

Source: ABC News / Vine

“You’ve got to admit, eating an onion is a pretty good metaphor for the Abbott government overall,” Victorian Labor MP Tim Watts wrote on Twitter.

Bernard Keane, political editor of the website Crikey, tweeted: “OK he ate a raw onion. OK. I think I actually respect Abbott more now.”

Bernard Keane (@BernardKeane) OK he ate a raw onion. OK. I think I actually respect Abbott more now. A raw onion. That he ate. Raw.

The cartoonist Jon Kudelka offered “Minister For Onion Breath”. The hashtags #onion and #oniongate were trending widely on Friday.

Democratic Goat (@jonkudelka) Minister For Onion Breath

Abbott was visiting Charlton Farm Produce in northern Tasmania. It has not been a good week for the prime minister on social media, with his St Patrick’s Day address on YouTube drawing criticism for allegedly being patronising.