‘Bit of a shadow campaign’: The curious case of the missing environment minister

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Tanya Plibersek has been campaigning everywhere this election, but she was nowhere when it counted most for her.

Labor’s environment minister was absent from Anthony Albanese’s caravan as it toured the Great Barrier Reef on Thursday, though her name was on the funding package the prime minister was there to announce.

As Albanese walked on a beach, did a live interview from a boat and held a press conference, complete with local fauna scurrying past, to spruik Labor’s package for the reef that its environment minister is closely tied to … there was no sign of Plibersek.

Albanese and Plibersek appeared together at the re-opening of Paddy’s Market in the latter’s electorate of Sydney on Wednesday, but she barely spoke.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The day before, she was present, but almost mute as Albanese opened a dining venue at Paddy’s Market in Plibersek’s Sydney electorate. Developers and dignitaries spoke at the official launch event before the PM’s keynote address. Plibersek, one of Labor’s best-known MPs, made just a few welcoming remarks.

But she hasn’t been idle. “I think since January, I’ve been to about 47 seats at last count,” Plibersek told Sky News on Thursday. “I’m losing count a little bit.”

That would be more than three seats a week. Scarcely any ministers would have been to more. That so many candidates and MPs want Plibersek to visit their electorates points to her popularity within the party.

“You’re running a bit of a shadow campaign,” observed Sky host Laura Jayes. Plibersek paid tribute to Albanese in response, but didn’t dispute Jayes’ point.

Relations have been fraught between Albanese and Plibersek for a long time given the pair were leadership rivals from Labor’s left faction.

But the relationship became particularly frosty in November after the PM’s last-minute intervention to scupper Plibersek’s deal with the Greens for a key environmental reform.

Labor pledged at the 2022 election to create a federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which it said would bolster nature protections with an independent eye on development decisions and regulation enforcement.

Labor candidate for Leichhardt, Matt Smith, Mark Olsen from Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Senator Nita Green during a visit to Green Island, Queensland. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

By November 26 last year, Plibersek was close to cutting a deal with the Greens to establish the EPA.

But Albanese effectively killed it off by siding with WA Labor premier Roger Cook and ruling out any concessions to the Greens. That move disappointed Labor’s large base of environmentally minded grassroots members, but also removed the opportunity for Peter Dutton’s opposition, along with the resources sector, to mount a scare campaign.

Then, just three weeks after the EPA was scuppered, Albanese intervened in Plibersek’s handling of Tasmania’s salmon farming industry.

He visited Strahan, on Tasmania’s west coast, in December to declare his support for salmon farming jobs in Macquarie Harbour even as Plibersek was deciding on the industry’s future after environment groups requested she revoke operating permissions to protect the critically endangered Maugean skate.

Plibersek was conspicuously absent when Albanese addressed local media, flanked by senator Anne Urquhart, who is Labor’s candidate for the seat of Braddon.

Little wonder, then, that not even a trip to Plibersek’s favourite tropical idyll this week could melt the tension.

Besides, Plibersek has been there before, as she made sure to say on Sky. “I’ve been in Cairns three times lately with [Labor candidate] Matt Smith,” Plibersek said. “I launched his campaign recently.”

And who launched Plibersek’s own campaign last week? Bob Carr, one of Labor’s most pro-environment premiers, and one who just happens to be a thorn in Albanese’s side on foreign policy.

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