Obama Makes Headlines in Australia for All the Wrong Reasons

Brendan McDermid/Reuters

SYDNEY—It was clear this week in the streets of Sydney that someone very important was in town—with extended traffic jams, increased police presence and sirens raging across the city serving to herald the arrival of former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as they embarked on a speaking tour.

But the increased delays were only the beginning of a trip plagued by headlines that seemed to dog the Obamas throughout their stay down under. They were accused of insulting a high-profile indigenous woman...