Labor leadership: Anthony Albanese won’t show hand on Adani

Anthony Albanese has refused to declare a position on the Adani mine as he firms his position as the likely next Labor leader.

ANTHONY Albanese has refused to declare a position on the Adani mine as he firms his position as the likely next Labor leader.

The left-wing inner-Sydney MP yesterday improved his chance of taking over the shattered party after his only declared contender, Chris Bowen, pulled out of the race.

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Queensland MP Jim Chalmers was considering a run, and is likely to announce his plans today, saying the party needs to “rebuild, refresh and renew”.

Declaring he was “confident, but not complacent” of winning a leadership ballot, Mr Albanese said other Labor MPs were entitled to test their levels of support.

In an apparent swipe at Mr Chalmers, Mr Albanese said he had the advantage that voters “know who I am”.

But he stopped short of ­declaring a position on Adani, despite Labor’s equivocation fuelling a voter backlash in ­regional Queensland.

“I’m not about to announce policy on the run,” he said of the mine.

His comments came after Premier Annastasia Palaszczuk performed an about-face on delayed approvals for the mine.

NSW Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon, who backed Mr Albanese, has also said he wanted Labor to support coalmining more emphatically.

“I’ve had a long discussion with Albo about my demands that the party strengthens its focus on regional Australia,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

Dr Chalmers has gathered support among his right faction allies, with Queensland senator Anthony Chisholm and MPs Milton Dick and Shayne Neumann all urging him to run.

Mr Neumann, who came close to losing his seat of Blair at the election, said “we need a Queenslander in leadership positions”.

But Mr Albanese appears to have the broadest support, with backing from key members of the NSW Right Kristina Keneally, Tony Burke and Mr Fitzgibbon as well as ­several members of the Left across the country.

One possible outcome is Mr Chalmers could become shadow treasurer or Mr Albanese’s deputy, but Mr Albanese also said he wanted Mr Bowen to play a senior role.

Bowing out of the race, Mr Bowen said Mr Albanese had majority support across the ALP. Failed leader Bill Shorten is believed to have encouraged Mr Bowen to run, but Labor’s Senate leader Penny Wong pointedly said that this would “undermine the very unity he has been part of developing and building in Opposition”.