Moment it all went wrong for Anthony Albanese again

With just over two weeks to go until the election, Anthony Albanese suffered another hiccup that cast him into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

With just over two weeks to go until the election, Anthony Albanese suffered another hiccup that cast him into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

He was asked about a key policy pledge from Labor to improve the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) - a plan that was announced by former Labor leader Bill Shorten only a matter of weeks ago.

When he was pressed to detail the six key points in the plan, it quickly became clear he couldn’t bring them to mind.

Instead of admitting he couldn’t recall the six points, he kept responding to repeated questions about them by simply saying Labor would “put people at the centre of the NDIS”.

After it became obvious that several reporters were not going to let the issue go, Mr Albanese quickly ducked out of the view of the cameras - briefly leaving his Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen to front the media.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese holds his briefings folder as he leaves after speaking to the media in Sydney on Thursday. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAP

Away from the cameras, he appeared to be briefed by an advisor before he returned to the podium and listed the six points while referring to a note.

It led to accusations from some of the reporters that he didn’t know the key details of one of Labor’s big policies.

And, it’s not the first time the Labor leader has been caught out at a press conference. In the first week of the campaign trail, he notoriously stumbled when asked what the cash and unemployment rates were.

That gaffe appeared to weigh on voters’ minds, as the polls saw a big swing to the Coalition in the days that followed.

Since then, Mr Albanese has been campaigning very carefully to avoid another mistake and it appeared to have been working as he clawed back support in the polls.

News.com.au has been on his election bus since he exited isolation in Sydney last Friday and it has been clear that Labor has tried to protect its leader.

Opportunities for him to be scrutinised by the public have been extremely limited as he surrounded himself by his own supporters at events like the Labor campaign launch in Perth and the Labour Day rally in Brisbane.

In the past couple of days he has tested the waters a little more. He dipped into a cafe in Melbourne where he sat down with a long-time Labor supporter and he spoke to pharmacists on the NSW Central Coast.

They were brief and strictly controlled appearances that didn’t give many ordinary Australians the chance to meet Mr Albanese in public.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese was accused of not knowing his own policies. Picture: Liam Kidston.

To his credit he has held press conferences every day, but reporters have picked up on another protective tactic.

Like the NRL legend Benji Marshall, Mr Albanese appeared to have mastered the art of the no-look flick pass.

He was asked questions, only for the reporter to look up and see one of his shadow ministers answering the question.

It came to a head on the Today show this morning when he was grilled by host Ally Langdon who suggested his frequent deferment to shadow ministers showed the Labor leader wasn’t across the issues himself.

He responded by saying that it was a good thing that he had a strong team to back him up, in contrast with the Prime Minister who he claimed had several ministers in “witness protection”.

“One of the great differences between myself and Scott Morrison is that I’ve got a great team, and I’m the captain,” he said. “Scott Morrison’s got no one behind him. Scott Morrison’s got internal chaos and division in the Liberal Party.”

He said it was “bizarre” that he had been criticised for letting his shadow ministers take the reins on questions relating to their own portfolios.

“This is one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen,” Mr Albanese protested. “I’ve answered questions each and every day, including since I came out of Covid only last Friday, I have been up and about. Today I have another press conference.”

Anthony Albanese appeared to be handed policy notes by an advisor. Picture: Liam Kidston.

And, it was at this press conference in Sydney today where he probably wished he had his Shadow NDIS Minister Mr Shorten to pass to.

Instead he had his shadow minister for climate change, who fronted the media alone as the boss ducked out for a mid-press conference briefing from his advisor.

The move caused a stir in the press conference. Several reporters accused him of only knowing the key six points of Labor’s NDIS policy because he had just been told them.

“Are these the six points that have been handed to you by your adviser?” one reporter called out.

Other commentators have suggested that it is harsh to expect Mr Albanese to remember every single detail of every Labor policy at a moment’s notice.

“I think Anthony Albanese did need the notes and should have been able to recall a couple of the points at least more freely. I do,” the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas said on air after the press conference. “And I do think being across detail matters.

“But I believe we’re now getting into a culture of catching everyone out rather than the sort of macro, becomes a little... pedantic and futile.

“I believe it’s a bipartisan comment, that the Prime Minister should be able to look at his notes and so should the Opposition Leader and I don’t know - is it just about having an encyclopedic memory?

“I watched the film Rain Man. I know some people can recall things very brilliantly, others less so. Is that your only test for a good leader? I don’t know if it really is the only test.”

Whether Mr Albanese thinks it is harsh or not, he will likely encounter many more tough questions in the 16 days he has left to convince voters that he is the man to lead Australia.

How he handles his next hurdle is anyone’s guess.

Originally published as Moment it all went wrong for Anthony Albanese again