Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon issues word of advice for Anthony Albanese

Anthony Albanese will have to visit “a few more coal mines” between now and the federal election, according to Hunter Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese will have to visit “a few more coal mines” between now and the federal election to shore up his support in the mining sector, according to Hunter Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon.

Mr Fitzgibbon said Wednesday he was “very pleased” that his leader “went to a mine site.”

“If we’re going to win back our blue-collar base, we’ve got to be constantly out there amongst them,” he said.

“And look, no one should be surprised to read that a Labor leader has visited a coal mine. I mean, it’s in our DNA. It’s part of the reason we were born as a political party.

“So, I welcome his visit, I suspect there’ll be more coal mine visits by Anthony Albanese between now and the next election.

“Of course, he’s always welcome in the Hunter Region. He’s always warmly received here.”

Mr Albanese came under fire from within his own party when it was revealed on Tuesday that he made a secretive visit this week to a Queensland coal mine, his first such trip, some 775 days after assuming the mantle of opposition leader.

On a trip to the Queensland town of Moranbah, Mr Albanese and Labor colleagues posted photos to social media including of a trip to the pub and a visit to the local Miners’ Memorial.

However he stayed quiet about his visit to the local coal mine, leading to charges he was dragged “kicking and screaming” to the site.

Joel Fitzgibbon during Question Time in the House of Representatives in Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

While he later said of his visit to the mine site: “I will talk with workers at every opportunity about their aspirations for themselves and their community,” others within the labour movement were critical of the apparent secrecy.

A post-mortem of the 2019 election found that Labor’s perceived anti-coal leanings had hurt it with blue collar voters, along with a perception that the party was divided between a green-tinged urban wing and its traditional industrial base.

Figures within the labour movement have been quietly critical of Mr Albanese’s handling of the trip, saying that it would further underline the impression that the party was beholden to left-leaning inner city voters.

Originally published as Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon issues word of advice for Anthony Albanese