Controversy shook Barack Obama‘s lucrative speaking tour in Australia when an Aboriginal woman got dropped from a ceremony in Melbourne featuring the former president.

A Wurundjeri elder known as Aunty Joy Murphy said she is “shocked and distressed” after the organizer of the event removed her from the program Wednesday night at John Cain Arena.

“I am 78 years of age. I have never been treated or spoken to in this way in the past,” she said, according to the National Indigenous Times.

“I do not want this to be a reflection on President Obama,” she added. “I am a leader of the Wurundjeri Nation. I asked to be treated as an equal.”

The report said Murphy had requested accommodations for a support person and to give Obama a gift in accordance with the cultural practice.

For years, Murphy has been performing the traditional “Welcome to Wurundjeri Land” for visiting leaders. Among those people she has reportedly greeted include the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Dalai Lama, and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela.

Videos posted to social media show Murphy at sporting events and elsewhere conducting the “Welcome To Country” in which she accepts a leaf of the Manna Gum plant, also known as Eucalyptus viminalis, on behalf of the visitors.

Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy conducts the Welcome To Country, wishing both the @Socceroos & Ecuador the best of luck tonight. @FEFecuador
Watch Australia Vs Ecuador, Live and Free on 10 Bold & 10 Play!! #AUSvECU #Socceroos pic.twitter.com/WPuPoyADto

— 10 Football (@10FootballAU) March 28, 2023

In the case of Obama’s event, representatives for Murphy claimed the elder was told she was being “too difficult” before being removed from the ceremony, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The organizer of Obama’s speaking tour, Growth Factory, claimed to have apologized to Murphy for cancelling her appearance.

“Growth Faculty had been working with Aunty Joy and the Wurundjeri community for many weeks ahead of last night’s event,” a spokesperson said in a statement reported by The Guardian.

“Due to security requirements, the organisation was unable to accommodate last minute changes to the agreed upon ceremony,” the statement added. “Growth Faculty has apologised to Aunty Joy that last night’s ceremony could not be changed.”

Wurundjeri-Willam woman Mandy Nicholson reportedly delivered the Welcome to Country in place of Murphy.

During Obama’s speaking tour through Australia, which reportedly could net him upwards of $1 million, the former president has been talking about a variety of topics including politics, foreign policy, and technology.

Senator John Fetterman is expected to return to work the week of April 17th, after seeking treatment for anxiety and depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

According to a report published by Politico on Wednesday, sources close to the freshman Keystone State senator have indicated that he recovered well and is ready to get back to work as soon as possible.

Fetterman checked himself in for treatment weeks earlier, stating that he had been diagnosed with anxiety and clinical depression — conditions that he had dealt with in the past but had only amplified after a near-fatal stroke, a senate campaign, and his first days in office.

CNN reported that a source close to the senator had indicated he’d likely be “as good or better than his best days post-stroke,” adding, “He’s doing extremely well.”

Fellow Senator Bob Casey, also a Democrat from Pennsylvania, told The Hill that he had visited Fetterman in recent days — and while he made it clear that he was not qualified to give a medical report on his colleague, he did say that he was pleased to see how well Fetterman appeared to be doing.

“It was just remarkable how good he looked, how good he sounded. My sense is he’ll be in better shape than he was even before his stroke. He’s really, really in good shape,” Casey said.

Senator Time Kaine (D-VA) said that in addition to Fetterman, he also expected to see Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) return around the same time frame.

“That’s what we’re hearing,” Kaine said. Feinstein has been missing from the deliberative body since February, when she announced that she had been diagnosed with shingles.

Also missing from the Senate in recent weeks has been Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who suffered a fall recently and sustained a rib fracture and a concussion.