Labor in damage control after Anthony Albanese stumbles over NDIS plan

Today host Allison Langdon has grilled a senior Labor MP over Anthony Albanese’s latest campaign blunder which sent the party into damage control.

Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles has faced heat from morning television host Allison Langdon after Anthony Albanese stumbled to outline his own policy.

Labor figures entered damage control on Friday after Mr Albanese struggled to outline his National Disability Insurance Scheme plan a day earlier.

Mr Albanese came under fire on Thursday after he was asked by a journalist to outline the six points of Labor’s NDIS policy.

When he failed, he continued to be questioned by reporters until he stood aside, received a briefing note from an adviser, and returned to recite the plan.

It came just hours after Langdon had pressed Mr Albanese about not being across his briefs, questioning whether his constant handballing of questions to frontbenchers was an attempt to cover up not knowing answers.

Anthony Albanese struggled to outline his NDIS policy plan on Thursday, but his deputy is rallying around him. Picture: Liam Kidston

Key frontbenchers, including his deputy Mr Marles were on Friday defending Mr Albanese, saying the election “is not a pop quiz”.

But Langdon said Mr Albanese failed on multiple occasions to explicitly and correctly answer questions over policy.

“Are you saying that details aren’t important?” she asked Mr Marles.

“It’s not a pop quiz,” Mr Marles responded.

“At the end of the day, this election is a contest of ideas. And the NDIS … is a shadow of what it used to be.

“A Labor government will return it.”

Mr Marles would not be drawn on whether Mr Albanese’s inability to answer the question was “a good look”, instead pushing back and calling Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s leadership into question.

Richard Marles has defended Mr Albanese after he failed to recite a policy, saying the election ‘is not a pop quiz’. Picture: Toby Zerna

Defence Minister Peter Dutton attacked Mr Albanese.

“I’ve never seen that (not being across every single detail) before in (any Labor leader),” he told Nine.

“Anthony Albanese’s own Labor (colleagues) don’t think he’s up to the job. It’s a huge risk.

“He’s someone who is not up to the task.”

On Thursday night Mr Albanese appeared on ABC’s Q+A program, and defended not knowing the policy off the top of his head, putting the blame back on the press pack for their “gotcha questions”.

Asked about it by host David Speers, Mr Albanese tried to play off the issue, claiming he did know the policy.

“You did say earlier in the campaign, when you stumbled, you would own it. Was that another mistake today?” Speers asked.

“No, it wasn‘t, David,” Mr Albanese replied.

“One of the things that puts people off politics, I think, is that sort of gotcha game-playing.”

Mr Albanese went on to outline in detail his plan.