Labor heads west for campaign launch in Perth – but will PMs of the past distract from Anthony Albanese’s pitch for the future?

Two of Labor’s most senior frontbenchers will miss the party’s campaign launch in Perth, where the ghosts of prime ministers past will also be in the spotlight.

Two of Labor’s highest-ranking frontbenchers will miss the party’s campaign launch in Western Australia – where Anthony Albanese will be reunited with former boss Kevin Rudd for the first time on the election trail.

Labor figures were divided on Friday over whether former PM Paul Keating will make the trip to Perth, with some speculating he was a likely no-show.

Bizarrely, Albanese campaign staff and Labor Party officials refused to say whether either of the two former PMs would appear at Sunday’s campaign launch.

The strange refusal was in contrast to Mr Rudd’s office, which happily confirmed he was heading west.

The possible attendance of the pair is likely to draw attention to the conflict between their positions on the issue of China, a growing election headache for Labor, with the official position of the party under Mr Albanese.

Former Labor prime ministers Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and Paul Keating all attended Bill Shorten’s campaign launch in 2019. Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

Mr Albanese, fresh out of isolation after contracting Covid-19, has headed west for the launch – designed to rally the troops and frame Labor as a united team ready to govern.

But deputy leader Richard Marles will not be there due to Covid, while the reason for education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek’s mysterious absence – which has raised eyebrows – remains unclear.

It is understood Ms Plibersek will be launching her own campaign for re-election in the safe seat of Sydney on the same day as the party’s launch.

A Labor member said her absence could be likened to the Royal Family’s rule of not all flying on the same plane, with the party needing representation on the east coast while a majority were over in Perth.

The location of former PM Julia Gillard is unknown.

In 2019, Tanya Plibersek played a much larger part in the election campaign when she was deputy leader to Bill Shorten. Picture: Darren England

The Sunday launch will be the first time Mr Rudd and Mr Albanese have come face to face on the campaign trail since the election was called.

The Opposition Leader served in Mr Rudd’s Cabinet during both of his stints as prime minister, including as deputy prime minister in 2013.

Mr Albanese previously acknowledged earlier in the campaign that it was a “difficult period” prior to Mr Rudd’s first loss of the top job in 2010.

It is understood Mr Keating is due to attend as well, but sources within Labor said this was not yet fully locked in as of Friday morning. His office was contacted on Friday.

The revered party elder made headlines last year for his comments on China, when he suggested at the National Press Club that Australia had “lost its way” on China – and that Taiwan was not a vital Australian interest.

Amid Ms Plibersek’s ongoing lack of media appearances, opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers was forced to defend the party’s choices, insisting the Sydney MP had been “a massive part of our campaign”.

“The launch on Sunday in WA, we’ll have some of us there but not all of us there, and that’s appropriate,” Mr Chalmers said.

Meanwhile, deputy leader Mr Marles on Friday confirmed he had tested positive for Covid-19 after a routine test.

“I was looking forward to travelling west to attend Labor’s launch, this morning after taking a routine test for Covid, I returned a positive result,” he said.

“I will be isolating at home and following advice.”

Labor’s 2022 campaign launch on Labour Day will be the first time the event has been held in Perth, with Mr Albanese saying it was about underlining the party’s commitment to “the entire country” including those in the west.

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