Anthony Albanese aiming to offer ‘safe change’ next election

Ditching controversial policies that scare retirees and easing cost-of-living pressures is how Labor ­leader Anthony Albanese plans to win over NSW at the federal election.

Ditching controversial policies that scared retirees in the Hunter and Illawarra, and easing cost-of-living pressures in Sydney, is how Labor ­leader Anthony Albanese plans to win over NSW, offering a “safe change” at the federal election.

Speaking exclusively to The Daily Telegraph about how he will campaign in his home state and push back Coalition attacks in key Labor-held seats, Mr Albanese said he would be focused on a “positive” post-Covid recovery plan but conceded he had major ground to make up after suffering from a low profile for most of his leadership.

Opposition Leaders Anthony Albanese, pictured at Parliament House Canberra, admits his profile has been low during Covid due to the bipartisan approach. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

He identified the Sydney seats of Reid, Banks and Robertson as major opportunities for Labor to gain ground in NSW.

Mr Albanese said Labor had a ­“really strong candidate” in Sally Sitou for Reid, an electorate neighbouring his own seat of Grayndler, where he ­believes the local Italian community will back him in.

“This is an opportunity to have someone of Italian background as prime minister of the country,” he said.

Mr Albanese also dismissed the Coalition’s touted rise in Hunter Valley and Central Coast seats including ­Paterson and the Hunter.

“I’m very confident we’ll hold those seats. I think that people in the Hunter will look at vaccines being sent away early in the pandemic when the regions weren’t looked after — people won’t ­forget that,” he said.

Mr Albanese said he remained confident in marginal Labor-held NSW electorates such as Gilmore, Eden-Monaro and Macquarie but admitted it hadn’t been an easy time to be in ­opposition, with the pandemic forcing an unprecedented period of bipartisanship that now left him with the ­challenge of overcoming a relatively low public profile.

“I always said I wouldn’t let the ­perfect be the enemy of the good (on Covid-19 response measures),” he said.

“But it means in terms of profile for an Opposition Leader, it has been less during that period.”

Building the public’s awareness, ­including of the policies announced so far — such as increasing the subsidy for childcare — will be the focus of the coming months.

“People know me,” he said. “I offer safe change. People know what I stand for, my values.”

On the prospects of forming a minority government if neither major party reaches the required 76 seats, Mr Albanese argued only the Labor Party could ever form a majority given the Coalition agreement between the Liberals and Nationals.

“We’ve seen with the Liberal-­National Party Coalition that you can have a minority in the National Party hold the entire Coalition government to ransom for vetoing something like (updating a climate target) to 30 to 35 per cent emissions reductions on 2030 levels,” he said.

Mr Albanese revealed he plans to make a major announcement concerning Labor’s vision for the future of Australia at an event in Sydney on Sunday.