‘Nonsense’: Tanya Plibersek snaps back at rumours she’s been benched

Popular MP Tanya Plibersek and Labor leader Anthony Albanese have shot down rumours she’s been benched, revealing why she’s been missing in action.

A forced rejig in election campaign planning caused a scheduling issue that has forced popular Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek to miss the party’s campaign launch in Perth, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has said.

In his first press conference since coming out of Covid-19 isolation, Mr Albanese was again forced to explain why former Labor deputy leader Ms Plibersek was missing in action for the most important party event of the campaign.

She has also not fronted the official campaign media press pack yet this campaign with her benching leaving many wondering when she fell foul of Mr Albanese.

Ms Plibersek will remain in Sydney on Sunday, where she will represent Labor at the May Day march and also launch her own campaign.

Mr Albanese said the Opposition’s education and women’s spokeswoman was “an outstanding member” of the team and “an extraordinary asset”.

Tanya Plibersek says rumours she has been benched are ‘nonsense’. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

The Opposition Leader explained that Labor had planned for a May 14 election, cognisant there was a Quad Leaders meeting happening in Tokyo on May 24.

The campaign launch, on the original timeline, was due to be held last Sunday.

Ms Plibersek today also labelled claims of tensions between herself and Mr Albanese as “nonsense” and said her no-show at the ALP launch in Perth was simply down to a diary clash.

“I’m representing Albanese at the May Day rally tomorrow and I have my own campaigning launch which has been planned for several weeks,” Ms Plibersek said on Saturday while campaigning in Sydney electorate suburbs of Surry Hills and Kings Cross.

Ms Plibersek said she wouldn’t be at the Labor launch in Perth because it isn’t practical to fly to WA and back.

“It’s quite a small number of people going to the launch in Perth so it’s not a productive use of time to have everyone fly there and back,” she said.

Tanya Plibersek campaigning to locals in Kings Cross. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

She said suggestions of a woman problem in the ALP were “nonsense” and pointed to Labor’s policies for paid domestic violence leave and gender pay equity.

“We’ve got an incredible set of women leaders in the Australian Labor Party, extraordinary people like Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher,” she said.

Mr Albanese said Labor would have more to say on education policy - Ms Plibersek’s focus - in the next three weeks.

Representing neighbouring electorates in inner-city Sydney, Ms Plibersek and Mr Albanese are left faction colleagues who debuted in parliament around the same time (Albanese in ’96, Plibersek in ’98), and they formed a unity ticket on many issues, especially on LGBTI law reform.

Labor HQ denied she had been benched, but given her star power, her comparative lack of visibility was hard to deny for many.

Tanya Plibersek will stay in NSW and not travel to the Labor launch in WA. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

Party insiders suggested the two drifted apart when Ms Plibersek was deputy Labor leader to Bill Shorten, while others suggested Mr Albanese might be concerned she’s just that little bit too popular.

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