Federal Election 2022: John Howard defends Albo over mistake
Former prime minister John Howard has reacted to Anthony Albanese’s mistakes after the Young Liberals have put out an ad attacking him.
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Anthony Albanese has found an unlikely ally in former prime minister John Howard after the Opposition Leader stumbled out of the gates on the first official day of the election campaign.
Mr Howard defended the mistake when he was stopped by reporters in the Perth electorate of Hasluck later that day.
“Is that a serious question? Okay, well Anthony Albanese didn’t know the unemployment rate. So what?” Mr Howard said.
He may well have been reflecting on his own televised pre-election stumble over interest rates in an interview with A Current Affair before the 2007 poll.
Asked at the time if he could nominate the reserve bank’s official rate, Mr Howard answered: “It’s 6.25 per cent”.
Then opposition leader Kevin Rudd – who went on to win that year’s election for the Labor Party – correctly quoted the figure of 6.5 per cent in a separate interview later that night.
Mr Albanese has failed to answer two important, yet simple questions on the first morning of the six week election campaign, later ‘fessing up’ that he was ‘human’.
Cost of living is a big-ticket issue ahead of the May 21 election, with the Reserve Bank of Australia poised to raise interest rates at least four times in the six months following the election.
In a series of questions about the official cash rate, the Tasmanian unemployment rate, the national unemployment rate, and milk and bread prices started by The Daily Telegraph’s federal political reporter Clare Armstrong and continued by a media pack including Channel 10’s reporter Stela Todorovic and Sky News’ political reporter Andrew Clennell, Mr Albanese could not answer any of them.
“We can do the old Q and A over 50 different figures,” Mr Albanese said in response.
“The truth is, the Reserve Bank have said that there will be multiple interest rate increases regardless of who is in government.”
Given the cash rate has remained at 0.10 per cent since November 2020, Mr Albanese was pressed further, but once again failed to provide an answer.
Later in the press conference, he was asked what the national unemployment rates were.
“I think it’s 5.4. Sorry. I’m not sure what it is,” he said in response.
Labor’s finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher was then asked whether she knew what the unemployment rate and cash rate were.
“The Reserve Bank current rate is 0.10. And the unemployment rate’s at four per cent,” she said.
Mr Albanese later apologised for not knowing the official cash rate.
“Earlier today I made a mistake,” he said.
“I’m human, but when I make a mistake, I’ll fess up to it. And I’ll set about correcting that mistake.
“I won’t blame someone else. I’ll accept responsibility. That’s what leaders do.”
When asked again by a reporter whether he knew what the figures are, he responded “yes I do”.
“Zero point one is the cash rate, which is very different from the interest rate people pay of course, and four per cent is the unemployment rate,” he said.
However, denior Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek, campaigning in the seat of Brisbane on Monday, defended Mr Albanese, saying the election was not a “test of memory” but a “test of leadership”.
Ms Plibersek, when asked, was able to identify the cash and unemployment rate including the specific jobless percentage in Queensland.
“I think this is an absolutely ridiculous test to set,” she said.
“We know Anthony Albanese is out talking every day to unemployed Australians… but (also) underemployed Australians.”
The Young Liberals have put out an advertisement attacking Mr Albanese — with inspiration from Homer Simpson — for his mistake in a press conference where he was unable to say the national unemployment rate.
In a video posted to Twitter, it says “we can’t risk a recovery from Labor”.
It hears Mr Clennell from Sky News ask: “What’s the national unemployment rate?”.
It then cuts to Mr Albanese’s now infamous scene where he stumbles over the answer.
It inserts the famous Simpsons quote “D’oh” and Homer’s voice saying “Exactly”.
The ad then goes to the catchphrase “It won’t be easy under Albanese”.
The video on Twitter has been viewed about 2000 times.
We can’t risk our recovery with Labor. pic.twitter.com/mUB8YZ5XpP
— Young Liberals 🇦🇺 (@YoungLibs) April 11, 2022
‘IS THIS THE DAY YOU LOSE THE ELECTION?’
Admitting to the “mistake” in which he couldn’t say what the national unemployment rate was, Mr Albanese was asked a brutal question this afternoon: “Is this the day you lost the election?”
Interviewed by Andrew Clennell on Sky News on Monday from Launceston, Mr Albanese was forced to admit he’d got it very wrong during his first press conference on the campaign trail.
He was unable to say what the cash rate was three times.
He also couldn’t say what the national unemployment rate was, despite it being the lowest since February 2008 at 4 per cent.
“The national unemployment rate at the moment is... I think it’s 5.4... sorry... I’m not sure what it is,” he answered at the press conference.
Mr Clennell jumped right in to grill Mr Albanese about what he called a “gaffe”.
“Well, you know my next question. What’s the inflation rate?” he asked.
“The inflation rate is 3.5. And the wages rate is 2.3, which is why inflation is much higher than the cost of living, that’s why people are under pressure,” he said.
“Well, let me just get to this unemployment question though because it’s clearly a gaffe,” Mr Clennell pressed.
“It’s a mistake and I’ll own it,” Mr Albanese responded.
“How did it occur though,” Mr Clennell continued.
“Of course, the average unemployment rate under this government is 5.7,” he said.
“Under us, it was 5.1.
“That was a question that I thought when people are firing questions at you, but it was a mistake.
“I accept it. I own up to it.
“I’m not blaming anyone else. I’m accepting responsibility. That’s what leaders do.”
Mr Clennell then said he didn’t want to get “melodramatic” before he asked a brutal question: “Is this the day you lost the election”.
“You are being melodramatic,” Mr Albanese said.
“People make mistakes and when it comes to figures quite often, I don’t want to get into the Prime Minister’s mistakes - recently there was a beauty.
“I’ve fessed up to it, I’m accepting responsibility for it and that’s it.”
Mr Albanese said the key test of character was owning up to mistakes.
Mr Clennell pointed out that the low unemployment and labour shortages had meant it was a topic that had been spoken about for months.
“(National unemployment) wasn’t the first question – to be fair the first question was about the Tasmanian employment rate,” Mr Albanese said.
“I wouldn’t necessarily expect you to know that,” Mr Clennell said.
Mr Albanese again repeated that he had a range of questions fired at him, but he accepted responsibility.
He said that he did know the official cash rate, despite being able to say it in the morning, but added it didn’t matter to people.
“I do know the official cash rate, it’s 0.1, but the thing that matters to people is the interest rates they pay and no one out there is paying 0.1 per cent on their mortgage either and the cash rate feeds into interest rates of course,” he said.
Mr Albanese then added that he knew the price of goods – after Scott Morrison was caught out not knowing the cost of a load of bread, a litre of petrol and RATs at the National Press Club earlier this year.
“Kim’s hot bread is $2 it went up from a $1.80 once I spoke about it, milk varies in price depending on what you buy… I buy Pauls smart milk but it’s around $2.15 for a litre,” Mr Albanese said.
ALBANESE’S SECOND GAFFE
Mr Albanese was also forced to admit he didn't serve as Acting Prime Minister for “that many days” after earlier touting his experience in the role.
On Sunday after Scott Morrison called the election, Mr Albanese told reporters: “My experience is I've been acting Prime Minister, I’ve been deputy Prime Minister, I chaired the Parliamentary Business Committee for six years”.
But a check on this reveals the Labor leader has only ever served in the role for a maximum of two days at a time and about 61 hours in total, which amounts to about four days experience.
When Kevin Rudd was returned as Prime Minister, Mr Albanese was his deputy.
During this period, Mr Rudd travelled overseas on three occasions.
According to past media reporting at this time, on the first occasion Mr Rudd was in Indonesia for 36 hours on July 4 and 5 in 2013.
He also had a brief visit to Afghanistan where he did a four hour visit to the multinational base Tarin Kot that same month.
Mr Rudd also had a 21-hour visit to Port Moresby.
When Mr Albanese was asked on Monday how long he‘d served as Acting Prime Minister after highlighting it as part of his experience a day earlier he conceded “Well I did it just on a couple of occasions”.
“Not that many days, but on two occasions,” he said.
“But I've also been the deputy Prime Minister, I’ve been the leader of the government in the house for six years.
“I've been in parliament for 20 years.
“The difference is when I was acting Prime Minister, I knew I was acting Prime Minister.
“This guy (Scott Morrison) has been the acting Prime Minister for four years, he won‘t accept the responsibilities which are there.”
Mr Albanese has kicked off his election campaign in the marginal seat of Bass, which is currently held by the Liberals on a margin of 0.4 per cent.
PM FACES TRANS SPORT BAN
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been accused of trying to score “cheap political points” after throwing his support behind a trans sport ban.
National LGBTIQ+ group Equality Australia has hit back at Mr Morrison’s comments, warning parties and candidates to stop using LGBTIQ+ people as a “political football” saying there is nothing to be gained.
“The political parties that wish to form government this coming election must commit to governing for all Australians, and to ensuring that every person in Australia can live their life, with dignity and respect, no matter who they are, or whom they love,” chief executive Anna Brown said.
PROTESTERS CRASH SCOMO’S VISIT
Protesters have crashed Scott Morrison‘s visit to a small business on the NSW coast, ironically singing Dragon’s hit ’April Sun in Cuba’.
It came as the Prime Minister faced tough questions over how he would prevent devastating bushfires, two years after his star Gilmore candidate Andrew Constance said Mr Morrison “got the welcome he deserved” when he was met with hostility in the bushfire ravaged town of Cobargo.
One protester named Bob, of Vincentia, recounted the time he was “surrounded by bushfire” during the Black Summer fires.
“When you see what has happened until today when people still don‘t have a decent home to live.
“People are still living in caravans and container sheds.
“And what has he (Mr Morrison) done? He's done nothing”.
Other protesters. including secretary of the Labour Council, Arthur Rorris, were singing ‘April Sun in Cuba’ - attacking Mr Morrison for taking a trip to Hawaii during the Black Summer bushfires.
Mr Morrison played the song on a ukulele during a 60 Minutes special.
In January 2020 Mr Constance said Mr Morrison “got the welcome he deserved” when visiting Cobargo.
He made the comments when he was a NSW state government minister, but now he is Mr Morrison‘s star pick for Gilmore.
Asked about the exchange on Monday, Mr Morrison said it was a “difficult day”.
“Andrew and I have known each other for 25 years or thereabouts,” he said.
“I love that he is on my team, and he calls it straight, and he did on that day.”
SCOMO GRILLED OVER $500K TUDGE SCANDAL
Earlier on Monday Morning, Mr Morrison backed Alan Tudge to make a “strong return as a cabinet minister”, even as his ex-lover and former staffer is set to receive a taxpayer funded payout of more than $500,000 over bullying allegations.
Revelations of the compensation payout to Rachelle Miller for her treatment as Mr Tudge‘s staffer will be a headache for the Prime Minister on his first official day on the campaign trail.
Mr Morrison on Monday morning clarified Mr Tudge was still part of the federal government's cabinet, though he “stood aside” amid allegations he bullied Ms Miller while they had an affair.
Mr Morrison said he “can not confirm” reports of a $500,000-plus payout to Ms Miller to settle the dispute with Mr Tudge, as revealed by news.com.au.
“That's a private matter between Ms Miller and the Department of Finance, so that is not something that, as Prime Minister, I have visibility over,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison said an independent investigation found there was nothing to prevent Mr Tudge continuing as Education Minister.
“We looked at that thoroughly and he has decided to stand aside for health and family reasons,” Mr Morrison said.
“He is technically a member of the cabinet as he has not resigned and he has not been stood down.
“He has been doing a great job in the education portfolio ... and I think he would make a strong return as a cabinet minister.”
News.com.au reports Ms Miller is set to secure a taxpayer-funding payout of more than $500,00 in compensation for her treatment as Mr Tudge’s staffer.
It is also reported the government will pay Ms Miller‘s legal fees, which is expected to be six figures.
A few hours after fronting several media interviews, Mr Morrison arrived at a canning company in the marginal seat of Gilmore, spruiking his government‘s investments in small businesses and innovation.
The Prime Minister appeared alongside his star Gilmore candidate Andrew Constance at East Coast Canning’s Culburra Beach factory about 10am on Monday.
Mr Morrison will highlight the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund, which helped the company purchase a new printing machine from Germany with a $1m grant.
The investment helped the business employ two extra staff, with plans to hire an additional seven employees.
The company provides mobile can printing services for breweries and distillers.
Mr Morrison will hit the start button on the production of a special 2022 federal election label.
Gilmore is held by Labor‘s Fiona Phillips with just a 2.6 per cent margin.
‘THAT’S NONSENSE’: ALBO FIRES BACK ON LIVE TV
Earlier this morning, Mr Albanese has fired back “that's nonsense” during his first breakfast TV live cross of the campaign when he was asked if he’d left it too late for voters to get to know him.
The Labor leader is in Launceston, part of the Liberal-held seat of Bass which is held by a tiny margin of 0.4 per cent.
Appearing on ABC News Breakfast at 7.30am, Mr Albanese was asked about a recent opinion poll in the Australian Financial Review that found 38 per cent of voters still didn't have a view on him “after all your years in parliament”.
“Does that worry you and have you left it too late to define you?” the ABC‘s Michael Rowland asked.
“Not at all, I’m very clear about my values, they are values that I’ve held dear my whole life,” Mr Albanese started.
“But the question I'm asking is that a lot of voters don’t know about those values,” Mr Rowland cut in.
“Well that's nonsense Michael, with respect, I’m someone who’s standing for Prime Minister, I had a biography published about me many years ago outlining my life story,” Mr Albanese fired back.
“No one knew who Scott Morrison was when he became Prime Minister when he knocked off a sitting Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“I’m not going that way, I’m not stabbing someone in the back to become Prime Minister, I’m asking the Australian people to elect me as Prime Minister and I’ll be putting forward a positive alternative to the current government’s inertia and inaction.”
A major Newspoll released on Monday found that Mr Albanese had fallen behind Scott Morrison as preferred Prime Minister.
He fell three points to 39 per cent while Mr Morrison increased one point to 44 per cent - the largest lead he has had in two months.
Later while appearing on Sunrise, Mr Albanese was asked what his biggest weakness was.
He said it was “loyalty”.
He said sometimes that would make him predictable politically but he wouldn't apologise for that.
Following his media interviews, Mr Albanese didn’t waste any time greeting some Launceston locals out walking their Schnoodles on Monday.
Brian and Sue Gavin live in George Town, near Launceston and were surprised to have the Labor leader greet them.
“It was just a chance meeting – this is our normal spot where we come to walk our dogs,” Ms Gavin said.
“He came over and said hi, he showed us a photo of his puppy, it was one of the oodles.
“We mainly spoke about our dogs and where we are from.”
Mr Albanese has a dog called Toto, who is a Cavoodle.
Mr Gavin said they were not fans of Scott Morrison.
“He is the anti-Christ, he’s the most anti-Christian person, it’s an affront he leads our country,” he said.
Ms Gavin said they felt the same about Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.
“For a chance meeting we did very well to get the right one,” she said.
Mr Gavin said they found Mr Albanese very personable.
The couple said they cared most about housing affordability, healthcare and looking after people not from the top end of town.
ALBANESE AND MORRISON ADMIT TO THEIR BIGGEST WEAKNESSES
Both leaders faced a grilling on the first morning of the election campaign, as they put their biggest weaknesses on the record.
Channel Seven’s David Koch asked the two men vying to be Prime Minister to admit to their “biggest weakness”.
Mr Morrison said his default “fixer” mode sometimes rubbed people the wrong way and came across as unsympathetic.
“I tend to go straight into problem-solving mode,” Mr Morrison said.
“I think when I do that, people sometimes don’t think that I have really understood how they are feeling, I assure them that I do.
“My passion is to ensure that we do deal with these problems that we face... I am really focused on trying to solve the problems that they are facing.”
Mr Albanese meanwhile said one key aspect of his character was his biggest weakness.
“I have found my biggest weakness is my loyalty, ” Mr Albanese said.
“I am very loyal to people and sometimes that makes me a bit predictable, and that sometimes can hurt me politically.
“I make no apologies for that. That is just who I am.”
SCOTT MORRISON AND ANTHONY ALBANESE FIRE OFF FIRST ELECTION SHOTS
The media election blitz comes as Mr Morrison unveiled a $40m roads package for the Shoalhaven during his first official day on the campaign trail.
The Prime Minister, who arrived in Nowra on Sunday afternoon, is expected to do a morning media blitz before announcing the funding for the New South Wales marginal seat of Gilmore.
Mr Morrison is expected to appear alongside his star pick, former state MP Andrew Constance, who is trying to win back the seat held by Labor MP Fiona Phillips on a slim 2.7 per cent margin.
He said residents and visitors to the Shoalhaven would benefit from the upgrades, which will boost safety and tackle the growing maintenance backlog created by recent weather events.
“Backing the Shoalhaven has always been a key priority for my government and with Andrew Constance on my team, we can keep getting things done for this important region,” Mr Morrison said.
“Andrew’s work as transport minister ensured the South Coast got the local upgrades they needed at a state level, and his advocacy has ensured this $40m investment will be delivered if our government is re-elected.”
Mr Constance said he had worked with locals to identify priority works.
“We are a growing region and that means we need growing investment,” he said.
Culburra Rd between Wollumboola and Culburra Beach is set to get a $14m upgrade, while $8m will improve Forest Rd, east from the Princes Highway.
A further $11m will be spent on the Callala Beach and Callala Bay Rds, with $2m to improve the intersection.
Greenwell Pt Rd and Worrigee Rd intersection will also get a $5m investment.
Funding will be provided to the Shoalhaven council to support their works program.
Gilmore is traditionally considered a Coalition seat, but Labor’s Fiona Phillips snatched the seat at the 2019 election amid a messy campaign that saw Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis quit citing “backstabbing” and “bullying” by party colleagues.
The electorate stretches from Eurobodalla on the south coast, up past Batemans Bay to Kiama.
Mr Morrison’s visits to Gilmore have not always been welcomed, especially after the region was ravaged in the Black Summer bushfires.
But Labor sources say it is getting harder to hold on to the seat – its only gain at the 2019 poll – with Mr Constance expected to ease voter anger and reinforce the Liberals credibility on disaster recovery and climate change.
Ms Phillips is expected to hinge her campaign on regional housing affordability and health issues, while infrastructure and investments to improve the region’s deteriorating roads will form a key pillar of Mr Constance’s campaign.
LABOR PUTS HEALTH AT THE FOREFRONT OF BID TO FLIP MARGINAL SEATS
Labor will place health at the forefront of Anthony Albanese’s bid to flip Liberal-held marginal seats on his first full day of the official election campaign.
Mr Albanese will be in Launceston, Tasmania on Monday morning to announce a $6.5 million package to support children with hearing impairments and their families.
Mr Albanese will spend the day campaigning in the northern Tasmanian ultra-marginal seat of Bass, which is held by Liberal MP Bridget Archer by just 0.4 per cent.
Tasmania’s three northern marginal seats are considered potential targets for both major parties.
As Labor searches for the minimum eight seats it needs to gain to reach the all-important majority of 76 seats, Mr Albanese will be working hard to attack in Bass and Braddon, and retain the eastern seat of Lyons.
Mr Albanese will announce two $2.5m new specialist centres to give children with hearing loss greater access to supports to develop speech, communication and life skills, one in Launceston and one in Hobart.
A third centre will be built in Sydney’s south west. If elected an Albanese government would also fund a $1.5m digital HearHub platform, to be run by hearing support group Shepherd Centres, delivering hearing tests, educational resources and practical support for families online all over Australia.
The digital HearHub would extend the reach of on-the-ground Shepherd Centres, and would be of particular benefit to children and families in rural and regional areas.
Mr Albanese said kids with hearing loss deserved the “best possible start in life and the best possible care and support – no matter where they live”.
“A Labor government will ensure our kids are looked after, whether through digital or on-the-ground support services. No child will be left behind,” he said.
Labor’s health spokesman Mark Butler said Shepherd Centres provided a vital service to kids and their families.
“For too long, some kids have missed out just because they live in the wrong area,” he said.
“The Morrison government has ignored these gaps for too long.
Labor will listen to families, and we will make sure support is received where it is needed the most.”
Labor’s candidate for Bass is Ross Hart, who was elected in 2016 before losing to Ms Archer at the last election.
Sources have previously said Braddon it’s less likely to flip to Labor than Bass.
It’s held on a margin of 3.1 per cent by Liberal Gavin Pearce.
The Labor candidate is Chris Lynch, who works with people with disabilities.
Labor will also have to work to hold onto Lyons in Tasmania – Coalition sources have listed this electorate as one they feel “optimistic” about.
“We should have won last time if our candidate hadn’t selfdestructed over social media comments,” a source has said.
It comes after Mr Albanese spent Sunday morning with his girlfriend Jodie Haydon at the Sydney Easter show, before holding a press conference after the election was called.
He pushed his slogan of a “better future” under Labor.
“We can seize that opportunity but you have to vote for it, that is what this election is about,” he said.
“We are a great country but we can be even better if we have a better government.
“We’ve had a difficult couple of years … It has shown the strength of our society but it’s also shown our vulnerabilities. and where we need to show improvements.”
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Originally published as Federal Election 2022: John Howard defends Albo over mistake
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