Telling sign behind ‘panicky’ Albo’s infuriating campaign move

One infuriating decision by Labor leader Anthony Albanese has offered a telling sign of what’s really going on behind the scenes.

There are growing signs Anthony Albanese’s election strategy has done a 180 after his disastrous day one gaffe threatened to derail the Labor leader’s campaign.

On Monday, Mr Albanese launched his first official day of campaigning in the marginal seat of Bass in Tasmania with a funding announcement to support kids with hearing loss – but it was quickly overshadowed when he was unable to answer a string of simple economic questions from the press, including the cash and unemployment rates.

It was an embarrassing blunder that sparked a wave of criticism from commentators across the nation, and which was immediately seized upon by a gleeful Coalition.

Anthony Albanese received a warm welcome at a Medicare rally at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation in Melbourne on Wednesday. Picture: Toby Zerna

And now, clues are emerging that the party has dramatically changed tactics in a bid to get the campaign back on track.

For the first two days of his campaign, Mr Albanese had repeatedly insisted he was “not Scott Morrison” and that he would answer every question thrown his way, insisting on keeping his press conferences “polite” and allowing all journalists the chance to grill him in a display of transparency.

But according to the Australian Financial Review’s Phillip Coorey, Albo and his staffers have been considering tearing up his earlier campaign style in the wake of the Monday snafu.

… but he fled a press conference immediately afterwards after just eight minutes, enraging reporters. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Citing insider sources, the publication claimed Mr Albanese’s signature long press conferences needed to be tightened in line with Scott Morrison’s, which are far shorter and restricted to just a handful of questions each day.

That claim seemed to be backed up earlier on Wednesday, when Mr Albanese walked out of a press conference after a gushing Medicare rally in Melbourne’s CBD after just eight minutes.

Reporters at the scene erupted in fury, confronting Mr Albanese’s staffers and claiming he had broken a commitment to answer all inquiries.

Having pledged to take all questions, Anthony Albanese pulled the ripcord after 8min today, facing tough questions about his claimed experience, how he could pay for his health policy, ditching a rise to the dole, and a potential Labor greens alliance. #auspol ✈️ 🚌 🚘

— Jonathan Lea (@JonathanLea10) April 13, 2022

Anthony Albanese has broken his campaign promise to answer all questions from travelling media, ending today’s presser after just 8 minutes & fuelling reports of a tactics shift. We were asking why Labor won’t commit to raising the Jobseeker rate if elected. @10NewsFirst#Auspol

— Stela Todorovic (@Stela_Todorovic) April 13, 2022

There was a marked ✨vibe shift ✨at today’s Albo press conference. The Labor Leader took just ten Qs in Melbourne after telling journalists earlier in the week he would answer all queries. #AusVotes2022#auspolhttps://t.co/a7mYIM9qnt

— Olivia Caisley (@livcaisley) April 13, 2022

Deakin University political expert and analyst Dr Geoffrey Robinson told news.com.au the move was a telling clue the party was alarmed by Monday’s gaffe – and were desperately trying to get the situation under control.

“It is early days in the campaign … but it seems to be part of an effort by Labor to control their messaging,” he said.

Dr Robinson said deliberately keeping press conferences short and limiting questions allowed the ALP to focus on their core messaging and healthcare announcements, and prevented that message from being sidetracked.

“There seems to be a consensus that he misstepped … that’s my reading of what’s going on, they are trying to now control the agenda of the campaign and how it’s reported,” he said.

He added that the abrupt ending to today’s presser indicated the party was in damage control.

“The reading you get is that it does seem rather panicky, to be honest,” he said, adding it was “odd” that the ALP seemed to be so concerned by something that happened so early in the campaign.

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s campaign got off to a good start, he shouldn’t get too cocky. Picture: Jason Edwards

He said the furore over Mr Albanese’s gaffe – which he described as being “overstated” – suggested his campaign had a deliberate “small target strategy” and that Labor was “not generating much news” otherwise as a result.

But while the Morrison camp have been thrilled by Mr Albanese’s “mistake”, Dr Robinson said they shouldn’t get too cocky.

“Sure, Labor would have preferred a better start and this plays to the Coalition’s strength, but the Coalition is still a long way behind with a lot of ground to make up,” he said.

“They would be pleased, but it’s very early days, so describing it as a turning point is very overhyped … it’s like making assumptions after the first two goals are kicked in a football match.”